The Daelam

* Credit goes to Blizzard, people who made pictures and videos, ect. The Daelaam (Protoss Protectorate)

The mysterious and enigmatic Protoss are one of the eldest and most powerful species of Starcraft. They combine high level machinery with their own psionic might, wielding technology nearly incomprehensible to the Terrans. Yet despite this, the Protoss’s destiny is in peril. A population that was once in the many billions has been shattered. Their homeworld has fallen, their empire in ruins. Worse they recently suffered a corruption of much of their race, courtesy of a scheme millenia in the making. Yet from tragedy comes triumph. For the first time even in history the Daelam have truly unified the entirity of the Protoss race, not just of Khalai and Nerazim, but of Tald’arim and Purifier as well.

The Protoss stand bloodied, but far from beaten. They are at the peak of militarization and diversity. From the legendary Golden Armada and the Tal’arim Death Fleet, to the deadly efficient Purification force and stealthy Nerazim, the Protoss stand united, poised to fight off the darkness , and even claim once more the light.

*NOTE: The point the Protoss are taken from is just prior to the final invasion of Auir but after Artanis has unified all factions. With no Amon in this tournament and no possession existing he is free to command the last remnants of his race into battle.

===AUIR FACTION (FORMERLY KHALAI) ===

The Auir faction refers to the original Protoss faction that unified at the end of the Age of Strife with the formation of the Khala- a gestalt field that allows all Protoss living in it to feel and experience the

thoughts and emotions of each other. This Khala field unified the vast majority of the Protoss race, allowing them to form a glorious, millennia old civilization. Their empire came to rule the Korpulu sector and beyond, comprising of thousands of planets. Unfortunately with the surprise Zerg attack on Auir their empire was dealt a mortal blow. Billions died and the rest had to flee to a world owned by those long thought to be renegades to the Khalai; the Nerazim. The Khalai leaders tried to mend fences, tried to unify their race with the respect to both sides. For the most part the Nerazim leaders recognized the need for the same however cooperation was difficult given different cultural values and this resulted in much debate and at least two accounts of rebellion. The reclamation of Aiur was the one common goal both Nerazim and Khalai possessed, so to this end, Hierarch Artanis led the Golden Armada in an effort to reclaim the protoss home world and unify their race. However, the invasion was thrown into awry with the revealed presence of Amon, who corrupted the Khala. The vast majority of the Khalai was corrupted in an instant, with only those who severed themselves from the Khala becoming immune. As a result of much of his people being in Amon’s thrall Artanis was forced to make some major changes, including the disbandment of the caste system and the eventual destruction of the Khala system, to save his people. The Khalai protoss still show the results of this time however, being considered more empathetic and team-oriented than most Protoss. Militarily the Khalai Protoss prioritize power over stealth . From the humble zealot to the mighty Collosi every Protoss warrior is clad in durable armor, energy shielding and powerful weaponry. Backed up with tactical options such as the sentry or psionic might offered by the High Templar, the Protoss are a capable army in any ground engagement. However the most important aspect is the fleet, the legendary ‘Golden Armada’- a symbol of pride and fear in the enemy. *to avoid confusion with the Protoss home world, I will be referring to this faction by their former name ‘ Khalai’ throughout the profile.

== =NERAZIM===

Long ago, when the Protoss were unified by the Khala, a small minority refused to join the system. They feared the loss of their independence, the loss of their individuality, and made every effort to avoid the mainstream Protoss race. Furious, the leaders of the mainstream Protoss, the Conclave, eventually ordered them wiped out. However a heroic Templar officer named Adun refused to carry out the deed and instead taught them to hide before sacrificing his life to allow them to flee. Millennia later and the Nerazim have now unified with their brethren, having taken the Khalai in after their home world of Aiur. This they do in memory of Adun as well as the sincere hope that they can be one people once more. Driven by individuality and a thirst for knowledge, the Nerazim developed along a very different path than the Khalai. Nerazim work in smaller groups than the Khalai, and are far more individualistic. With a less monolithic culture, each Nerazim is encouraged to forge their own path, and they believe that fostering this attitude leads to their great successes. They remain willful and often fiercely independent, with their closest allegiance being first to clannish warrior bands and then to the Nerazim, the great tribe to which all Dark Templar belong. However when the greater good calls they can still band together to fight, even sacrifice themselves, for the Protoss race as a whole. All Nerazim go through the ‘shadow walk’ as a rite of passage. It requires the aspirant to walk down a valley and keep only to the shadows, out of which veteran Dark Templar will spring unexpectedly to assault him/her. Those who make it to the end of the valley without being incapacitated pass the test. Militarily the Nerazim are heavily stealth and guerrilla oriented. They employ teleporting stalkers, stealth oriented Dark Templar , farseeing oracles and smooth corsairs, which can create a disruption

fields to negate enemy fire or destroy detectors. Their own specialized pylons can cloak nearby allies and even allow the Nerazim commander to recall nearby forces to them. In times of desperation the fearsome Dark Archon might be employed, with the ability to instill Chaos among the enemy or even mind control enemy units. As Nerazim leadership works to build bridges with the Khalai they have taken to coopting or even adapting each other’s units, most notably the destructive Void Ray. “The Shadow Walk,” Zeratul explained as he led Tassadar down from the small nook they had found and across the valley they were currently using as their combined camp. “The test each Dark Templar must undergo to demonstrate his mastery of our skills.”

Raynor, walking along behind the two protoss, suddenly understood what Zeratul was saying. All this time he had thought Tassadar was simply learning more about his heritage, and about the powers every protoss possessed. Apparently it had been more than that. Zeratul had been training the Executor, yes, but not just as a friendly gesture. He had been teaching Tassadar to become a Dark Templar! (…) “You must traverse the valley to the far end,” Zeratul replied. “Pass through the shadows only. Let none prevent your progress.”

“That’s it?” Raynor couldn’t stop himself from asking. “That’s all he has to do, walk across the valley?”

Both protoss glanced at him and nodded. Then Raynor’s brain caught up with his hearing and he glanced down at the valley again, realizing what he’d seen as they’d passed. Tassadar’s Zealots were all on the east side, in the fading sunlight. But Zeratul’s followers had vanished into the shadows. The same shadows Tassadar was expected to stay within as he walked. Crossing a valley filled with invisible warriors who could attack at any time—yeah, that was a challenge. (…) So he returned to the nook and settled himself there, back against the wall, to watch the show.

Tassadar was moving slowly but surely through the shadows. Somewhere before beginning the ordeal he had shed his uniform and now wore only the long loincloth, more ceremonial than necessary. His eyes glowed blue-white, pinpricks in the darkness. Shadows swirled about him, enveloping him as he walked.

Then the first Dark Templar struck.

It was difficult to follow, particularly from a distance. Raynor’s first clue came when Tassadar twisted to one side, arm rising to block a blow. Then a protoss was standing beside him, angling for position, his hands wreathed in that strange beyond-dark glow Zeratul had manifested when saving Tassadar from the zerg. Those hands swung toward the Executor and Raynor thought he could feel the cold rising off them, though he knew it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when Tassadar blocked the first blow and tripped the warrior, sinking to his knees alongside, his own hand lashing out to land against his opponent’s chest and pin him to the ground. That was a clear defeat, and the Dark Templar did not rise as Tassadar straightened and resumed his walk.

The second attack came from behind, a protoss appearing from shadows Tassadar had just passed. This one’s hands also bore the darkness, stretched between them like a garrote torn from deep space, and with a quick flick the protoss tossed the band over Tassadar’s head and around his neck. The Dark Templar tugged back sharply, planning to catch his quarry about the throat and yank him off balance. But Tassadar raised his right hand and his glittering psi-blade burst from it, the blade slicing cleanly through the dark band and scattering its shadowy substance. The warrior Tassadar dispatched with three quick moves, one to the chest and one to the throat and one to the space between the glowing eyes, and then he was moving again. (….) Tassadar was halfway across the valley now. He had faced more than a dozen of the Dark Templar, defeat-ing each one in turn. Some he had conquered with only his speed and strength. Others he had used his psi-blades to disarm. Still others he had bested

their own gifts, as when one had punched at him with a dark-shrouded fist and Tassadar had caught the blow, his own hand stealing the darkness and then releasing it harmlessly back into the shadows. Each Dark Templar, as he was defeated, moved aside to let him pass.

But he still had half the valley to go, and many Dark Templar yet to defeat—including Zeratul himself.

As Raynor watched, however, he noticed something strange. Tassadar’s eyes were still visible among the shadows, but now he saw a faint speck of light upon the protoss warrior’s chest as well. A second appeared, then a third, forming an inverted triangle above the Executor’s triple hearts. The tiny spots grew brighter, as did Tassadar’s eyes, and slowly the glow crept across the rest of his body, until his

entire frame was engulfed in a near-blinding light. It dispersed the shadows around him, scattering them into small pockets of stubborn darkness—pockets shaped much like protoss warriors preparing to strike.

Raynor blinked. For just an instant, as the glow had flared to full intensity, he thought he’d seen a flicker from it, like a candle bending in a strong wind. Or a faint shadow scurrying clear of the revealing light. But now it was gone and he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.

(…) Finally he was just below the nook, and one last patch of shadow remained before him. As Tassadar approached the shadow spread out rather than shrink-ing back, extending tendrils to wrap around him and smother his light. The glow dimmed but did not die, and in return it lanced deep into the darkness, stripping away layers until the form of a tall, bent protoss was revealed. Zeratul.

“Excellent,” the Praetor acknowledged, letting the shadows fall away from him now that they were no longer useful. “You have used both light and darkness to good advantage. Your skill with your Templar gifts is commendable, and you use our native gifts as one born to them. Truly you are worthy.” Not for the first time Raynor could hear the grin in the old protoss’s mental voice, the hints of laughter wrapped around every word. “Provided you can escape my grasp and reach the gathering place beyond.”- Queen of Blades, Shadow Walk example

TAL’DARIM

Millions of years ago, after the Aeon of Strife, the Protoss tribe known as the Tald’arim (meaning “Forged” in their language) seemingly disappeared from all Protoss records. Yet sometimes mysterious, unexplained happenings events occurred that the Protoss could not explain. Vessels would take off into the cosmos and never return- attack forces would go missing. It was rumored by the Protoss populace that ‘angry whispers of the past would strike when you are most vulnerable’ . If these tales are true then the Tal’darim and the Khalai Protoss have fought a secret war for countless years, only without the Khalai being even aware of it. Separated for millions of years, the Tal’darim evolved a different mindset than their regular kin. Their culture became brutal, a social Darwinian climate where the strong and clever survived while the weak perished. Tactics other Protoss would find dishonorable are routinely in use with the Tal’darim. That said they do have some fragments of honor such as a ritualized dueling system and a willingness to follow their word once given. worshipped the death god Amon who promised them that in return for obeying him they would all ascend one day to the same state as him (a lie). Their society operates to theconcept of the Chain of Ascension—obey those above you, while being superior to those below you. One may ascend the chain through Rak'Shir duels, or simply move up as openings in the chain are created. Those high up in the chain are referred to as ascendants, while the top of the chain is the highlord, of which there have been many. It is their philosophy that as the weak are removed from the chain, the Tal'darim grow stronger. Attacking a superior outside a Rak'Shir duel is punished through public execution. The Tald’arim eventually burst onto the scene in the Second Great War, revealing themselves the servants of Amon. A sub-branch sought and failed to prevent the Terran James Raynor from acquiring artifacts, while the main branch kidnapped Daelam prisoners and attacking Terran/Protoss worlds. However, towards the middle of the war, a powerful ascendant, Alarak, learned the truth about Amon and defected to Artanis. Through the help of the Daelam and his own guile Alarak eventually beat the

Highlord Ma’lash in a Rak’shir duel and seized control of the entirely of the Tal’darim race, brining it over to the Daelam. Militarily it must first be noted that the Tal’darim are noted addicts of the gas known as ‘Terrazine’. This drug is noted for rejuvenating brain matter as well as boosting psionic powers but at the cost of hallucinations, violent outbursts and sometimes madness. As pretty much the entire faction enjoys Terrazine for its religious connotations they would possess numerous psionic warriors to battle. The Tal’darim are known for stealing successful tech from their Khalai and Nerazim brethren, thus possessing a well-stocked force. Yet they also bring their own unique variants to the fray like a modification to Void Rays or the terrifying Wraithwalker. Tal’darim modificatinos emphasize death and their doctrine appears to be to achieve it by any means necessary. They are cunning by nature and skilled at exploiting weaknesses in enemy ranks.

PURIFIER

The purifiers were built under direct order of the Conclave to be an ultimate fighting force at a time when protoss scientists were making technological advancements in intelligent robotics and artificial intelligence. The program was originally kept in shadow and unified by the belief that consciousness could be turned into data, thereby used to preserve the thought-process and decision-making ability of a formerly living being. replications were often 99.3% accurate to the protoss subject the replication was patterned after. The Conclave moved to use this technology to build a force replicated from the greatest warriors in history.

Like the Khala protoss they were built by, they possess their own unique ‘network’ by which they can translate data, plans and other thoughts across. Moreover they are said to be stronger and more effective when in close proximity to one another.. They did not, however, treat the purifiers with the same respect afforded to regular Templar. Instead, the purifiers were little more than slaves in the Conclave's eyes. Eventually, the purifiers chose to rebel, killing their masters. In return, the Conclave determined that the purifiers were too dangerous and banned them. They were powered down and launched away in a command vessel, Cybros, to be reactivated only in the direst of circumstances In 2506 Amon turned out to be a ‘direst of circumstance’. Artanis, needing allies, disregarded the advice of his allies and awakened them. Though the Purifiers were less than happy with the Protoss at first eventually he convinced them that the Templar would treat them better now, and won them over with his honor. The Purifiers would serve the rest of the war against Amon. If Khalai focus on the air fleet, Nerazim on stealth and guerilla tactics and the Tal’darim on psionics and cunning death, Purifiers are methodical destruction waiting to happen. While much of their force is ground they utilize their khala-esque network to systematically purge enemy life with machine precision. Collosi and Tempests are the most famous of this faction’s arsenal.

PROTOSS PHYSIOLOGY

The typical Protoss Templar stands around 3 meters tall with a slender and agile physique. They walk on two large digits with knees that buckle backwards rather than forwards as humans do. They possess

eyes but no nose, mouth or any orifice whatsoever. Instead they hear and smell along with absorbing and secreting nutrients through their skin. Protoss are remarkably self-sufficient requiring only a small amount of water (much less than a human) and sunlight {or moonlight, which is reflected sunlight) to exist. Even then they can go for weeks without either before suffering from deprivation. They possess three hearts , fewer organs and scaly skin. Protoss can live a thousand years. These traits are why the Xel’Naga, the ancient precursor race of Starcraft, considered them ‘Pure of Form”. Thanks to their biology they can survive and fight in the void of space without specialized suits or live in environs of extreme hot or cold without much issue{though obviously not too extreme}.They are more durable than a human and examples in text show zealots fighting on proliferated by poisonous hydralisk spines, having bodies half-dissolved by acid or even set alight by Terran flamethrower troops. Even when they sustain fatal wounds they can still fight on- in the background to one short story a zealot had all his limbs ripped off and then decided to become an immortal. With three hearts they can achieve speeds that a human cannot, with the zealot being capable of 75mph running speed as well as being able to run far longer at that speed . For example the zealot in Cold Symmetry ran for an estimated 16 hours and crossed thousands of kilometers. They are more agile, with an example in Why We fight showcasing a zealot vaulting on top of a thirty meter Ultralisk to deliver the fatal blow to the skull or zealots in Queen of Blades described as rapidly ascending cliffs. While these examples are all of better than average individuals they all showcase moves that a human would be incapable of. Acceding to text they are also physically stronger than humans, with one example has a Protoss able to pick up a fellow Protoss and hurl him with such force that he was nearly killed. This natural advantage translates to mentality as well. As the below example shows Protoss minds process information at a far faster and volumous rate than human minds. In combat this gives them superior initiative, reaction time and the ability to form (and then spread, via telepathy) planning on the fly. Thanks to dsicipline and training (Protoss dedicate decades or even centuries to mastering combat) they possess superior control over their emotions and pain then humanity. “He unclipped a console from his belt and sent a cloud of micro-spies into the large chamber. The tiny propeller-driven devices were Umojan tech, and he’d paid dearly to get them from the black market, certain they’d come in handy one day. They immediately began circling slowly, scanning, measuring, listening— —until a bright blue beam flashed out from the opposite side of the cave, flicking from one micro-spy to the next, disintegrating each in a dazzling flash of light. Jake leapt backward into shadow, knowing even as he did so that it didn’t matter. Whatever had just incinerated his micro-spies had certainly targeted him as well. Even as the first hot surge of adrenaline roared up through his gut, his chest, his heart, he was already realizing that he was only alive because that same something wanted him alive.

He took a deep breath, a second, a third... then stepped forward. Running would be the worst thing he could do. Across the cave, on the other side of the chamber, where another lava tube opened into the great space—or perhaps it was a continuation of this lava tube—something shimmered. Something tall. Something not human. In that instant, Jake suddenly knew he was extremely lucky... and extremely unlucky too. He was now one of the very few human beings in the sector who had ever been face to face with a protoss. The reason there were so few was that most of those who had ever been face to face with a protoss had not survived the encounter. "Uh, hi," he said. He raised his right hand in a tentative greeting.

*** Lassatar studied the creature across from him. He’d been aware of its presence on the island since the day it arrived. Now, here in this cavern, he could finally examine it. Human. Encased in primitive technology. It imagined itself powerful. It had a pretense of thought wrapped around a core of primal surges—mostly fear. It was a biological imperative, pretending toward thought, even aspiring toward true thought, but really just an organic machine fueled by a clumsy tangle of hunger, fear, rage, and vague uncomfortable desires. It desired intimacy, but it feared connection with its own kind. It desired knowledge, but feared discovery. It desired change, but feared action. It desired peace, but feared death. It desired sentience, hungered for a light it could only dimly sense, but feared to give up the animalistic state of being that kept it trapped in a cage of emotions. It did not act as much as it reacted. All this and less. That humans had achieved warp technology was more a demonstration of how easily knowable this universe could be than evidence of any native intelligence. The human species had not yet finished evolving, and probably never would. It would destroy itself before it had a chance to create its own higher state of being. Nevertheless, the raw passion of these creatures gave them a terrifying set of abilities. They could create almost as ferociously as they could destroy. They weren’t mindless. And to this dark templar, the possibility of what a human might become was a tantalizing question, one that deserved enormous consideration.

If you share a galaxy with another life-form, it is either a partner or a scourge. There is no neutrality. If the relationship is not one of mutual contribution, then it is one of eternal warfare and destruction. Life is inevitable. Resources are finite. The rest is left as an exercise for the trainee. In the brief instant between the destruction of the micro-spies and the moment when the creature raised its hand in greeting, Lassatar sorted through a thousand options. His curiosity overruled them all. He’d had experience with humans before, most of it violent, but a chance encounter on a trivial world had left him pondering the possibilities of sentience in this unfinished species. Could its primitive and brutal mind be trained? Could this animal be uplifted? Could it learn the deeper responsibilities of the technologies it had created? Or was it like the giant herbivores of the mainland—an evolutionary dead end, doomed by its own biology to feed and be fed upon in turn, with no real capability to understand its own participation in the processes of time? The creature before him now... Lassatar recognized a curious kinship. Like him, the creature had chosen to separate itself from its own kind. Humans did that often, and often without apparent reason. At first consideration, it made no sense. The behavior seemed to have no evolutionary value. Separated from the tribe, the herd, the family, a lone unit’s ability to survive was considerably reduced. Even the hard shell of technology was rarely enough protection against the raw forces of the universe. And if the lone unit traveled without a mate, without the capacity to reproduce, then the action was biologically futile. But if the evolutionary value was not immediately apparent, it was still inherent. Otherwise, the behavior would not continue to occur, would have disappeared from the species quickly. Clearly, there existed a survival value for the larger gene pool in having some of its members commit to exploration and discovery. The behavior could function as a useful avenue toward the development of greater thought within the species—a path toward the growth of a genuinely conscious mind. It could even be an evolutionary trigger as profound as the ability to walk upright or the use of tools. The future of humanity was an issue that protoss elders occasionally discussed. Humans were a curious anomaly, a species trapped on the cusp of possibility. Caught between their raging biological impulses and the possibility of true sentience, humans were a question in the process of asking itself. The resolution of the dilemma might be interesting, but was not worthy of serious consideration—not until the threat of the zerg had been totally eliminated. Nevertheless, any encounter would be another piece of the growing structure of thought. Lassatar was a guardian of secrets, a protector of ancient mysteries—and he regarded his duty as a sacred responsibility. More than that, an identity. Lassatar felt his job required him to be the living spirit of protoss heritage. It wasn’t enough for him to be just a guardian. He needed to be a living embodiment: he needed to be an access to the powers and abilities of the past.

He believed that the mysteries and secrets of the ancient past were significant, and that they had profound meaning for the protoss of today. Life was mutable. The earliest protoss knew this—not just as theory, but as an actual application. Life evolved. It changed. It challenged itself and adapted to whatever circumstance occurred around it. To a higher mind, the processes were beautiful and cruel and powerful. To a higher mind, one that thought in terms of millennia, evolution was a tool, and the first members of the protoss species used that tool handily. They practiced the application of evolutionary pressures to maintain and control the environments of the worlds they claimed. Often, they uplifted whole ecologies from primal to stable. As he studied the ancient processes, Lassatar had briefly considered how those mysteries could be applied today. For instance, could humans be uplifted toward true sentience? Would they then become a useful partner in the war against the zerg? That was an interesting question, but not one that any protoss authority was apt to consider at length, let alone pursue. The humans were prone to uncontrolled emotions and violence. Even true sentience would not remove that emotional core of being. Uplifting humanity might result in a very dangerous species, possibly a threat to the protoss. That risk was too great. And... it was not an inquiry he could assume on his own without violating the integrity of his office. He was only the guardian of mysteries, not the master. Nevertheless... an anomalous event had forced him into a different domain of thought. He had been searching for an important relic, a xel’naga artifact. He’d found it near a single human settlement. But at the same time he had also encountered a human child as well. The creature had demonstrated a startling amount of innocence and wonder, traits that had not been evident in any of the confrontational encounters of protoss experience. But if that one immature human was capable, what did that suggest about all of them? Lassatar was well aware that humans had not yet achieved sentience, not even the illusion of it. On the scale of self-awareness, humans were barely above insects. They were owned by the physicality of their beings, controlled by their brain chemistry, driven by their own hormonal storms, victims of the circumstances into which they were thrown by birth. They were dazzled by stimuli and functioned as creatures of reaction—simple and predictable organic machines. That their brains had evolved toward the capability of rationalization was an accident of evolution—a process still ongoing. But the encounter with the small female and her father, who had been transformed from a violent being into a loving and compassionate protector, had left him puzzled and curious. Compassion and empathy were acknowledgments of the self-ness of others, a key component of sentience, the ability to recognize the existence of consciousness outside one’s own being. A small first step, but perhaps the most necessary one. Seeing this potential demonstrated in a human—it demanded investigation. And the next question too. Why did this capacity diminish with age in humans? Why didn’t it mature with the individual? Was this the source of the species’ failure to achieve true sentience?

Lassatar gave the question to his acolytes while he considered the nature of the xel’naga artifact. Little was known about it, and there might be some significant risk in reactivating it. This was not a task to be undertaken lightly. So he told his acolytes to consider the nature of self-awareness and sentience. Consider the questions of compassion, recognition of the self-ness of others. Consider the nature of awareness as a function of time-binding and how memory creates history, history creates identity, and identity creates the survival drive. What kind of consciousness results, he asked his acolytes, if a species is uplifted? He did not specify which species he was thinking of, and he was careful to remind them of their limits. The job of the guardian was to protect, not to apply. Yes, research was part of the job, but not direct experimentation. Even so, the acolytes questioned—wasn’t experimentation part of the process of research? That was a wholly different matter and one that Lassatar was not yet willing to pursue. It required more consideration than he wanted to give at this moment. The xel’naga artifact required his attention first. So he left them with the single mandate to consider in depth the essential dilemmas of sentience, confident that such an inquiry would keep them busy and out of trouble. Perhaps he should have been more specific in his mandate. He took himself and the xel’naga artifact to a remote and barren asteroid and quietly, patiently, methodically considered its history, its nature, and why it had been deliberately hidden by the ancient race. When he finally felt he understood, he reactivated the artifact. And discovered— What he discovered... left him disturbed. Not for what it was, but for what it could be. It was not simply the power that the xel’naga artifact unleashed; it was the implications of that power. Could he, should he, would he reveal what he had discovered? This was not a question he could resolve on his own, but neither was it an inquiry he could share with any other protoss. He was riding a conundrum that could consume him. He did not see any possibility except self-exile. He returned from his retreat to inform his acolytes that they would have to disband, only to discover they had disappeared. That was the first time he used the power of the xel’naga artifact. He used it to follow their psionic trail here... What he found distressed him. Then he was horrified. Then he was saddened. And if he had been capable of panic, he would have experienced that too.

His acolytes had taken his inquiry and pursued it to the point of madness. If it was possible to alter the genetic structure of a species to change its behavior, could they modify the zerg into something less dangerous? Here, separated from the body of protoss thought, away from the eyes of protoss authority, Lassatar’s acolytes had quietly and methodically experimented with the biology of the zerg. They had justified their actions to themselves by deciding that they were simply testing a theory so they could report on its usefulness. But there was an arrogant pride in their work as well. They had felt that having evidence of a successful effort would shift not only the conversation about the zerg, but the entire methodology of combat as well. Driven by ambition, his acolytes had believed they would ascend to higher levels. If only they had survived. The presence of the human complicated the situation even further. Lassatar’s acolytes had selected this world for the same reason as the human. It was so far removed from the frontiers of the Koprulu sector, it had been extremely unlikely that their presence here would be detected. All the more ironic then that the human had found the evidence of their experiments. It had to be an accident. If humans were investigating his acolytes’ experiments on this world, then they would have sent more than a single explorer. So it had to be an unfortunate accident. So he did not see this human as a threat; therefore, there was no need to act against it. But perhaps... Lassatar had to leave the rest of the thought unfinished. He couldn’t see all the possibilities of the situation. Not yet. There were too many unknowns. And he still hadn’t solved the problem of the xel’naga artifact. The entire process of thought—the content as well as the context—flashed through his mind in less time than it took to zap the micro-spies out of existence. So by the time the human raised its hand and said, "Uh, hi," Lassatar had already decided to let it live. Like all protoss, he took no pleasure in the wanton destruction of life. It was wasteful. Allowing the human to continue would be an access to additional opportunities. Killing it would eliminate that option. So he faded backward into darkness, disappearing from the vision of the human.”

===PROTOSS TELEPATHY===

Lacking orfices the Protoss communicate via telepathy, able to send thoughts and emotions to one another by mind. The distance that they can do so unaided is unknown and is likely dependent on training, as the great high templar Tassadar was able to conduct interstellar telepathic conversations and the preserver Zamara was able to read the thoughts of an entire Terran space station. However in other cases it is shown that the Protoss need to construct psi-spires to ensure good communication throughout the entire planet. “Information flooded him with such astonishing rapidity he whimpered and shut his eyes and ears in a futile, foolish attempt to block it out. It kept coming, of course, for this information, this knowledge, these sensations of unity, were not coming from his senses. At least . . . not the traditional five senses.

Emotions and sensations slammed into his head.

Jake gasped soundlessly. And then, suddenly, as if he had been riding a runaway horse that had suddenly slowed to a comfortable canter, Jake was processing it all.

No. Not Jake, not Jacob Jefferson Ramsey.

And not Zamara, nor Temlaa.

All.

All of them were working together, almost in a dance, catching the information and sensation, registering it, integrating it, and moving on. The supreme onfidence of Randall, walking down a corridor some- where. The master chef, writing out the menu and sending an assistant to harvest herbs. And oh, Jake didn’t want to see but he couldn’t help it, couldn’t ignore it, could only see and integrate Rosemary’s warm feelings of sexual satiety and momentary content. Dozens of people, hundreds of thoughts and feelings, crowding upon Jake and Zamara, and they were juggling them deftly.

Until they stumbled across one thought.

Somewhere, in this massive complex that was part mansion and part laboratory and part training facility, someone had a thought that caught Jake and Zamara like a punch in the gut. It was a fleeting thought, a butterfly wing–light thought, crowded out at once by more pressing thoughts of food and a hot shower.

Wonder what kind of bonus we’ll get from Mr. V for the mind reader.” Though once everything was open via the Khala system, with its downfall Protoss can now communicate mentally what they choose to share. Protoss in conversation can choose to block out or allow in other individuals in at will. Telepathically they can connect with Terran video communication systems as well as read the minds of enemies in combat. Language is no barrier since ‘thoughts’ transcends such barriers. In the Dark Templar saga Protoss (or a Terran possessed by the Protoss) were shown using this ability to create and spoil ambushes, identify rough positions of enemies, devise battleplans on the fly and other mischief on the battlefield.

“They were followed, like the kal-taar were. Followed by those who would slay them and use their blood for paint.

And their lives, too, depended on how fast they ran now.

Jake swiveled his head over his hunched shoulder. He

had no need to look to see his enemy, for their thoughts attacked him—their threats, their hunger for the kill. But he liked to see them. And so he did, brief glimpses of something dark gray amidst the bright green of the grasses. Something with glowing eyes, assaulting him with mental cries that were intended to freeze his blood but only enraged him.

It took all of Jake’s self-control to not drop to all fours, wheel around, and rip out the throat of his pursuer. But that was not what he was supposed to do. This was an initiation for him. He needed to shield his true thoughts from his enemies. He could not permit himself to fall prey to his own bloodlust.

He faced forward again, leaping high over the huge trunk of a fallen tree. He landed in a crouching position and sprang forth with only the barest slowing. His pursuers cleared the trunk a heartbeat later. They were closing on them, and Jake felt panic, they were closing on them, would the others attack in time to—

“Temlaa! Control your thoughts!”

Savassan’s rebuke was harsh and painful. Jake under-

stood and was horrified at his slip. He had given everything away!

Behind him the pursuing Furinax skidded to a halt,

gathered themselves, and turned to flee. But it was too late. Twenty Shelak dropped from the dark, looming jungle canopy onto the other protoss. Jake turned and joined his kin, leaping on the Furinax, using his sharp claws to tear open the bellies of their enemies. His skin knew the scent of fresh blood and moist earth, of flowers and decay.

It was so good to kill, to feel the bloodlust surging through his veins.

Telkar, the leader of the Shelak, turned his glowing eyes on Jake. “Temlaa, you very nearly ruined everything!”

Jake shrank back. “I know. I will be better next time. I will be more disciplined.”

“Temlaa’s mistake did not come until we had already

brought them close enough for the kill,” Savassan said. “He did well for his first time.”

Jake looked gratefully to the older protoss. Telkar narrowed his eyes. “You will do better on your second time, Temlaa,” he said, “or there will not be a third.”

Jake wanted to leap and dance happily. He would be permitted to go on the hunt again! “Only the younglings spread their thoughts without care of who understands them,” A scene of ambush from the ancient Protoss Aeon of Strife, Dark Templar series “Focus, Jacob. Listen for the threat amid the fear and anger. Your lives depend upon this (Zamara) .

Jake thought fleetingly of Temlaa and Savassan, racing through the dark, misty rain forest of Aiur, minds alert for the thoughts of predators, animal or protoss. He clung to that image and tried to both focus and run.

— got a clear shot—

“On the left!” Jake shouted. Rosemary whirled sharply to the left and fired. There were no more thoughts from the left.

— don’t know what’s going on but I’m getting out of here—

Rosemary turned at the movement and Jake screamed, “No, he’s just getting out of the way!”

The petite assassin hesitated, then lowered her weapon and kept running. Jake felt a flood of relief.

In the midst of all this horror and slaughter, he’d just managed to save a life.”-Dark Templar series. Note Jake is being possessed by the Protoss Zamara here and she was teaching him how to use their shared powers. Protoss telepathy combines with their mental processing power to absorb a wide range of information at a speed that far surpasses terran telepaths of their universe. An example is found below. “Rosemary swallowed hard. So many thoughts crowded her mind at once. Where to begin?

Images came—the cave where she and Jake had found Zamara, her betrayal of the archaeologist, his horror at having been used to turn a madman loose on his friends, the stories of Temlaa and Vetraas and Khas and Adun, the Sundrop—oh, God, the Sundrop—the whirling radiant darkness—what an oxymoron that was—that was Ulrezaj, the sudden and unexpected pain in her chest when Jake said he was dying, the living carpet of zerg that just came on and on and on, Ethan‘s betrayal and resurrection as a tool of this Kerrigan who—

She opened her mouth to speak, to try to begin the linear, calm telling of the tale, when Selendis touched her mind: ―Well done, Rosemary.‖

Well done? She hadn‘t even started—

―Thoughts are richer and swifter than words. And your thoughts are vibrant,‖ Selendis replied.

―You were more eloquent than I—or many others—expected.‖

―Well, I guess that‘s good,‖ Rosemary replied.”

“Zamara navigated them as smoothly as an experienced rafter does a river. He swiftly isolated those with information and began to probe their thoughts.

“Prof? Ready to go here. . . .”

His eyes still closed, Jake held up a finger for silence. There. That was the one. The woman in charge of security for the entire compound. Quickly Zamara/Jake scanned her thoughts. Jake almost laughed aloud as he realized that Zamara had an eidetic memory.

“I’ve got a map now,” he said to R. M., and he realized that his voice sounded slightly different—more

confident, less frightened. “Alison Lassiter is the security chief. I know exactly where the communications room is now. There are some codes . . . hang on . . .”- Firstborn In the span of a few heartbeats and before she was fully knowing of what she was doing Rosemary told essentially the plot of three books to the Protoss. And as later lines proved they absorbed this information perfectly. In the second quote Jacob Ramsey (possessed by a Protoss) casually ‘scanned’ the minds of other human security officers to look for codes and maps of the complex without being detected. Protoss are not only capable of just reading surface thoughts; in the Dark Templar series it is established the Protoss can probe deeper though this process is far more invasive. If the Protoss in question feels like s/he really wants to know every bit of information or feels the other is lying (which is possible for base telepathy with technological devices or by stronger telepaths, but very hard to do), then they can probe incredibly deep, even capable of revealing repressed memories and undoing technological mental blocks (Terran resocialization of criminals, for instance). To use an analogy comparing telepathy to the internet all Protoss are instinctively capable of picking up on immediate news headlines that flash up on a page. With a little more effort (usually not detectable by the individual they are using it on depending on the skill of the Protoss) they can sort through the mind like a search engine, sifting through brains to find what they want. Here they can find basically everything they want save the most guarded and buried thoughts..or that hidden behind encrypted passwords and security measures. With greater effort and to the point of clear detection the Protoss can breach his way through to discover even theses.

While Protoss trained in the arts can inflict deadly and mass mental attacks, even weaker Protoss might be able to disorient, confuse or otherwise hurt the minds of enemies in combat. In addition to having numerous fatal means stronger Protoss can manipulate minds, plant memories or even plant orders like suicidal thoughts or murder.

===TELEPATHY VS. CLOAKING===

It is shown many times in the novels that the Protoss can detect things via telepathy that they cannot otherwise see, like an enemy lying nearby in ambush or a sudden zerg attack. As Protoss are not relying on sight here there is no reason one of them should not be able to detect a foe that is ONLY using a cloaking device. It is for the same reason that if you attached clown shoes to a cloaked individuals feet or a constantly booming boom box you would probably be able to quickly guess their location. However, it is clear that in lore Protoss CAN in fact be caught off-guard by cloaked or burrowed foes. I would propose this is the result of a combination of training, distance and Hive mind factors rather than inability for Protoss to detect them. In the case of Ghosts the answer is simple: Telepaths can shield their minds from other telepaths in lore. Though a stronger telepath can overpower a weaker one to break through mental defenses(such as in SC Spectres), that requires both time and actually knowing the enemy is there. Which they wouldn't if the cloaking device worked and their passive telepathic detection wasn't receiving anything

on the first hit. Too the Terrans do have psychic blocking tech devices that make it harder to detect, though these too can be overwhelmed in time. Still if you combine the tech with a ghost's natural ability/training it would take the Protoss a while to overpower such a defense. In the case of cloaked Wraiths it is mostly distance. The addition of Psi-spires in 1km+ capital ships shows that, for the most part, Protoss telepathic range is probably going to only be a little better than their hearing range (which is still superhuman) but they are going to have difficulty 'hearing' thoughts over such a wide distance. Some trained and spectacular individuals can but in space or atmo combat, most are not going to easily be able to follow such vessels given distance. With the Zerg their hive mind makes it nearly impossible for the Protoss to read individual Zerg thoughts, only general and somewhat tell how nearby they are by intensity. In the case of a Lurker Protoss will have difficulty telling its location particularly when surrounded by Zerg without telepathy alone, and even in the event of the Lurker being alone the pervasive hive mind is going to inhibit attempts to locate exactly its underground position without an observer present. I do think the Protoss would find eventually the Lurker without detection help but it would take a while and they would incur causalities. In the case of other Protoss like Dark Tempalrs the nerazim bring training that comes with learning how to block off their minds and mystical cloaking devices, so it is understandable why other Protoss would have difficulty in finding them . Cloaked mothership parties against another Protoss force would presumably be the same, for they are also trained and skilled enough to close off minds. TL;DR: Protoss can be considered minor detectors by default but with a lot of Caveats. A few individuals might be considered full detectors (like Protoss heroes for example).

===PROTOSS MINDSET=== “The thing that defines every Protoss is our willingness to put ourselves in harm's way to protect others. To sacrifice for the good of all” Though each Protoss faction has differences in culture, all value highly certain traits in their different ways. The notion of honor and loyalty is at the very core of the Protoss race. Honor refers to upholding some of the race’s most sacred principles such as keeping control of their emotions, behaving gloriously and without fear in battle. Loyalty refers to dedication to their race and cause above all, ensuring that every Protoss is ready to sacrifice themselves if necessary for the greater good. There are heavy variances among Protoss individuals in this theme. For example some Nerazim used to believe that their loyalty extends to the Nerazim faction and not the overall Protoss race, while the Tal’darim’s absolute loyalty to their leader is not always shown by many Auir or Nerazim leaders (such as Tassadar disobeying the Old Conclave).

The Protoss believed they were abandoned long ago by the Xel’Naga, due in part to their pride and extreme emotions. This has resulted in a society dictated by control, of the tempering of pride (though the Tal’darim skirt this rule at the top). However pride is still there and indeed it sometimes emerges as a weakness. The Protoss are shown to have difficulty conceiving in defeat or the need to retreat, being far more willing to die gloriously in battle than do that. Though recently commanders such as Artanis, Selendis etc have allowed for protocols of tactical retreat the concept of Surrender is probably beyond them . However the Protoss do not view anyone in their armies as ‘fodder’ . Each warrior given is a gift whose lives they take great care to ensure are as protected as possible (by spending long years training, equipping them with multiple layers of armor and high quality equipment etc). If protoss lives must be spent the enemy will have a huge price to pay.

COMMON TECHNOLGOY & TERMS

CLOAKING: Cloaking refers to the ability of several Protoss units to turn nearly invisible .Sometimes this is accomplished through technological means, like with the observer or now corsair. Sometimes it is accomplished through psionic means, like with the Dark Templar. Sometimes it is a combination of both like with the Mothership. Whatever the means cloaking in SC carries several attributes. The first of which is that SC cloaking renders the target nearly completely invisible ensuring that it cloaked warriors are incredibly difficult to detect with the naked eye. Sometimes the slightest ripple might be seen at best . Most basic scanners, such as a ghost’s heat vision or motion scanners, the infared of a marine suit, light detection scans etc do not work on a cloaked individual. Only the strongest, most concentrated of scans can serve as detection. Starcraft cloaking is shown to be able to bypass forcefields to an extent, being able to fool those devices into thinking that no one is there.

CRYSTAL LINK MATRIX : The crystal link matrix is a crystal built into the suit of every Protoss warrior that, upon taking a near fatal wound, automkatically transports the warrior back to the main base . This allows the warrior to either be given the proper rights of his people or, as is increasingly done, be fitted inside a battlesuit like an immortal, dragoon or stalker. This matrix can also be manually activated by either the user or remotely by command if necessary. CYBERNETICS: The protoss are a technologically advanced race and their use of cybernetics is testament to this. In their time of operation, dragoon 'pilots' could come to control their exoskeleton as well as if it

were their own body.This is an ability shared by the current generation of protoss cybernetic warriors, the immortals and stalkers. Protoss cybernetics extends beyond crippled warriors. Zealot power suits are compatible with cybernetic leg enhancements that bolster the warrior's speed. Karax attached cybernetic tentacles to the tips of his severed nerve chords, allowing him to control the limbs via thought KHAYDARIN CRYSTALS : These are psi-active, monolithic psionic artifacts left behind by the xel'naga on various worlds. The protoss use them to strengthen their psionic bond and power their psionic technology. High Templars and both kinds of archons for instance sometimes carry them to stor excess psionic energy for spellpower (in addition to their own stockpiles). They also serve a key role in serving as a energy node to to provide for the psionic matrix. Arbiters, Motherships and similar Protoss vessels all carry such crystals to help power their various abilities while shield batteries use them to store and then dole out psionic energy (reshielding). PHASESMITHING : This type of production allows Protoss engineers to create, meld and mainuplate matter. Such an ability allows Protoss engineers to manufacture robotic units (sentries, sentinels ect) inside Protoss bases, though there is a progressive difficulty in doing so depending on how powerful what being warped in is. It too is what allows the Protoss to manufacture their devices with such precision. In one claim, stated in the short story It Shall End in Fire, it is said that one of the most powerful crystals created by the Protoss has only failed once in several thousand years. PLASMA SHIELDS: A technology universal, 100%, among all Protoss units and heroes, the Plasma shield combines technology and the Protoss’s own innate psionic ability to project a miniature energy shield. While originally in the ancient days of Auir these shields drew entirely from the warrior’s own psychic reserves, as time moved on and the Protoss acquired more advanced vehicles and weapons these psionic shields were built into generators. The larger the generator for the greater vehicle meant the better protection available. All Plasma generators recharge when out of combat. At the level of the base zealot a plasma shield can help the warrior survive withering machine gun fire, point blanked acid explosions or even other psionic weapons. This power is, of course, scaled up for each unit cumulating in the Protoss mothership which can survive a sustained attack by dozens or hundreds of zerg flyers at once before failing. Note that a Plasma shield is NOT physical armor. Physical armor is a second layer of defense.

PSIONICS: (a.k.a. psychic powers) are the ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. The protoss are masters of psionic powers, with every single member of their race capable of it . The protoss can use their psionic abilities to shield themselves, charge their tools and weapons, and to make, manipulate or meld matter. By definition in Starcraft psionic weaponry ignores almost all forms of physical armor in regards to toughness but still effected by other factors somewhat such as densitiy (example seen in a similar, more popular fiction: Jedi lightsabers can carve through metal with ease but

still take some time to carve through a blast door). Many protoss units use psionic weaponry or powers, and the Protoss do have generators (such as with mothership or oracles) to store this. Protoss Machines (robots) are inherently receptive and able to communicate via telepathy, like the rest of the Protoss.

PSIONIC MATRIX NETWORK: Protoss structures draw their energy from a aura of psionic energy known as the psionic matrix. While a nexus provides a link to this matrix, khaydarin crystal-based pylons are needed to actually tap into the energy required to provide psionic energy to new colonies. Each pylon generates a short-ranged aura of energy, which can provide the power needed by structures and warp gates. If a protoss building loses its connection to the psionic matrix, it will shut down until it is reconnected, and new units cannot be gated in if there is insufficient psionic energy to provide them with power. Warp Prisms, energizers or rarer craft can function as an emergency psionic matrix, though in doing so they make the ship immobile and an obvious target.

A Psionic Matrix is not just a power source- it is a means of reinforcement, with the Protoss able to warp structures, infantry, heavy armor even starships directly to the battle! They are able to do this via the opening of warp rifts, resulting in portals inside structures. The building can then set a second portal which in effect ensures that any area of land covered by a pylon or warp prism’s psionic matrix is a parcel of land that the Protoss can warp any unit, infantry, vehicle or air vessel, at will. Protoss commanders thus can bring their troops to the battlefield nearly instantaneously. In addition in lore the Protoss commanders have been shown using their psionic matrix to recall surrounded, ambushed or otherwise overwhelmed troops back to base- a move that is quick, sudden and nearly impossible to stop. To date the only one who has managed to stop it is kerrigan who utilized her formidable psionic powers to shield her vessel to prevent a lone protoss captive from warping out .

TELEPORTATION : Connected to the Psionic Netowrk strongly is the technology known as teleportation, for it is the main mechanism by which Protoss traverse the network. The protoss have spent thousands of years studying the nature of time and space and as a result, their ability to manipulate it far exceeds that of other races. In fact they can do so with almost complete reliability. This can be done on the base level through personal warp generators, like with the stalker or the psionic transfer ability of the adept. Dark Templars have their own teleporting ability, though that is more similar to psionic powers than technology. As already discussed, every single Protoss already has a personal transporter built into them in case lasting damage is sustained. Outside of the psionic matrix Protoss are also capable of large scale teleportation. Arbiters and Motherships can rip holes through space-time allowing Protoss to travel from point A to B in seconds even though they are normally tens of thousands of kilometers away from one another.This can occur with entire bases rather than single buildings at a time; in the Zerg campaign of Brood War Zeratul sought to teleport his entire base away from Kerrigan, though this took some prep time.

===INFANTRY=== 

A note on Variants: Courtesy of Legacy of the Void, many units now have variants now, variations upon the main faction from other specific tribes. Variants will be lsited in the ‘Special category”. Everything listed before that, unless otherwise noted, can be considered universal to both variants and the original form (which is still in use).

ZEALOT

Weapon Type: Psi Blades Armor Type: Power Suit Mobility: 8 Training: 6-8 Max Range: Lunging Range Preferred Range: Melee Classification: Close Quarters specialist Role: Frontline Assault, Melee Warrior Speed: 75mph/120 kph (Up to 88mph/141 kph for Charge, slightly higher for some variants) Utilized By: Auir, Tal’darim, Purifier and Nerazim For thousands of years, the Protoss of the Templar caste have defended their people, dedicating their long lives to the pursuit of martial perfection. Zealots are peerless warriors who have yet to ascend to the uppermost ranks of the Khala. Ever eager for advancement, they train for decades in hand-to-hand combat, tactics, strategy, pain tolerance, and martial discipline. Their formidable physiques are further enhanced by cybernetic implants and power suits. Zealots use their substantial psionic abilities to create blades of pure energy- capable of ignoring almost any physical armor regardless of densitythat serve as their primary melee weapons.

A Zealot is a master of his own emotions, able to transform his passion into peaceful focus or unbridled rage. This gives them a determination that is described as far exceeding any Terran capability and as a result they can fight longer, harder and better than their contemporary adversaries. Already far faster than a human by virtue of biology, those Zealots who have proven themselves can upgrade themselves with cybernetic legs, allowing them to rush across fields with blurring speed. In one impossible, likely outlier feat one Zealot was able to run the circumference of his moon- many thousands of kilometers- in likely sixteen hours. There is a reason why a melee warrior can still compete in an era of hypersonic machine guns. The Protoss believe that even the life of the lowliest of warriors is something to be preserved as much as possible. To that end every single Protoss zealot has a power suit and a psionic shield generator. And, in the event they suffer a mortal wound, the crystal matrix built into the suits of every single Templar swiftly and automatically teleport the warrior back to base. There to be transferred into a Dragoon or Immortal suit, depending on his status. OFFENSIVE: PSI-BLADES

Most Protoss warriors wield a pair of psionic bracers that allow them to focus their innate psionic energy into deadly dual close quarter weapons. The only exception is the ancient zealot variant which uses a longer psionic spear type weapon. At least one comic had a Protoss zealot using his plasma shield as a ramming device against the enemy. They are highly skilled warriors physically superior to the Terran’s best in melee, and able to move so fast their movements are sometimes described as blurs. “As he watched, glowing spikes appeared from their forearms, extending over their fists, and he realized these energy blades were their primary weapons. The Executor himself perched on the crater’s edge but did not participate in the conflict—instead he sat and watched, just as Raynor was doing.

The zerg were taken completely by surprise. The brood had been concentrating on getting across the crater and was unprepared for the sudden attack from above. Protoss were among them in an instant, carving through the zerg’s tough skin with their energy blades, and a dozen or more zerg had fallen before the rest had time to react. Raynor saw four warriors close in on an ultralisk, each targeting a leg, and slice the massive zerg to pieces before it could bring its large scythe-tusks to bear.’-Queen of Blades

- DEFENSIVE : PLASMA SHIELD

Power Suit: The suit consists of a series of overlapping segmented shells providing flexibility and protection. The throat and back are left bare to allow for full movement. The armor is effective against small-arms, as well as glancing blows by Zerg. The suit may be configured to provide full life support in vacuum or hostile environments (and nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC) shielding. Transceivers to communicate without telepathy, navigation tools, vital signs monitor and the crystalline matrix are housed within, as well as being the location of the Zealots Plasma shield generator.

.

Supplementary lore suggests that some Zealots can learn precognition to help avoid attacks, or those with awesome reflexes might be able to defend themselves with their psi-blades, striking down projectiles in the manner of a jedi. “Nothing happened for a while, however. The warriors below didn’t mill about the way humans would, which Raynor found disconcerting. No walking in circles, no whittling stray sticks or carving small rocks, no chatting. No eating or drinking, either, which meant his first guess had been correct—they didn’t need food the same way he did. They simply crouched and remained that way, not moving at all for hours on end. Then suddenly one would stand and stretch, perform-ing a series of gymnastics before returning to his crouch in the exact same spot. It was eerie.”- Zealots outside of combat

VARIANTS:

All Protoss factions make use of zealots. The standard, short bladed variant appear dominant in both the Auir and Tald’arim factions however other variants exist.

Solarite Reaper (Khalai) : The ancient ‘Auir Zealot’ – composed of ancient warrior sput into stasis by the tens of thousands to fight in a future conflict- wield a psionic spear weapon. Known as ‘Solarite

Reapers” in battle this unit specializes in taking out hordes of encroaching enemies close together but is somewhat slower against singular enemies.

Centurion (Nerazim) :The Nerazim, imitating their Auir cousins, have developed the Centurion and combined it with their own unique abilities to manipulate the Void. While in pitched combat the Centurion is nearly the same as his Auir cousin, it is in the initial charge where this ability manifests. When activated Centurions physically moves through the shadows in a manner similar to the Dark Templars, allowing them to phase through friendly or enemy units and cloaking the warrior at the same time. When the Centurions hit the enemy the resulting psionic backlash momentarily stuns the target and foes in the immediate vicinity, allowing the Centurion unihibited first strike.

Sentinel (Purifier) : Finally the Purifier has the Sentinel variant. Tough, durable and possessing the same charge ability as the Zealot, the Sentinel is run by basic AI designed to replace (i.e. minimalize) Zealot causalities on the field. They possess automated self-repair systems and when the Sentinel is shot down these systems activate, rapidly reassembling the Sentinel on the battlefield. Though there is a cooldown during which the systems cannot resurrect again the Sentinel while recharging, this ability ensures the enemy must kill the Sentinel twice on the field, in rapid succession, to put it down. Also unlike with other purifier units the Sentinel is a simple A.I. comparable to a Protoss drone, and thus can be manufactured in greater numbers.

DRAGOON

Training: 6-8 Mobility: 3 Classification: Assault Walker

Range: Above one Kilometer Utilized by: Auir faction. Size: 4m Basic Description: The Protoss as a race are a faction that do not like waste. To them the life of each and every warrior is precious, a commodity that cannot be squandered unless it is necessary for the greater whole of the race or its objectives. That is why even their basic zealot is equipped with shielding, power armor and decades or more worth of training. But despite all this sometimes it is inevitable that a warrior will fall in battle. Enter the Dragoon. Each zealot is equipped with a fail-safe on their suit that recalls the warrior the moment s/he is mortally wounded. When this crippled warrior is recalled back to base, s/he may request or be asked to fight on(which, given Protoss mindset, is going to be common response). The technicians will then respectfully merge him with a dragoon exoskeleton allowing the Templar to fight again. The dragoon is a machine, yet one guided psionically by the mind and martial instincts of a veteran Protoss warrior.

After the Fall of Auir the technology was thought lost until, in Artanis’s attempted re-conquest of the planet, the technology was rediscovered and upgraded. Now the Dragoon skin is even more durable than before, courtesy of Karax equipping them with additional armor, followed by Artanis ordering yet more armor for certain dragoons under his command ( so much more durable than a stalker, less than an immortal). Capable of serving as both anti-air and anti-ground, and with a range over one kilometer, the Dragoon is a potent warrior made all the more significant in that it is a recycled one. LOADOUT:

Armament: Swivel mounted Phase Disruptor. A man hit by one would be disintegrated entirely in an instant, a tower blown up and vehicle armor will not stand up long to such attacks. Defense: Plasma Energy Shield. Thanks to Karax the Protoss metallic plating is greatly improved and can resist far more fire than before, though the immortal is still better armored. DARK TEMPLAR

Weapon Type: Warp Blades Armor Type: Light Plated Armor Mobility: 6.5 Training: 5-6 Max Range: Teleportation Preferred Range: Melee (Blades)

Classification: Infiltration specialist Role: Espionage, Infiltration, Assassination, specialized infantry

"Though we strike at you from the shadows, do not think that we lack the courage to stand in the light." -Zeratul The Nerazim as a people have already been detailed. Unlike those who come from the Khala culture, who until very recently were strictly dominated by caste, the Nerazim were always free to choose their occupation and trade. Thus while full-time Nerazim warriors in the style of the zealot do exist (with centuries of experience and training) many are part-time warriors who take up multiple occupations. Those who take the path of the warrior undergo the Rite of Shadows, a ritual in which they are tested by their elders and learn to shadow-walk (cloak). In place of the Khala’s bright energies, the Dark Templar learned to manipulate the darker powers of the Void, which gave the Dark Templar the ability to become invisible at will. Armed with their potent Warp Blades, the Dark Templar are deadly and relentless foes capable of devastating conventional forces. Nerazim can become ‘one’ with the shadows, allowing them to hide in plain sight, virtually undetectable to all but the most advanced scanners. Lesser variants, such as those built into marine suits, ghost suits ect, can’t do it. They are capable of permamently cloaking.

- Melee: Warp Blades : Warp Blades warp the space around them, they don't damage an object by cutting into it, but rather by inserting a void into anything that crosses their path. This causes the flowing/distortion effect, and explains why the Warp Blade is far more devastating than Zealot blades. Some Dark Templars are known to carry scythes, while others prefer swords. “He had watched Tassadar and his Zealots fight Kerrigan and her brood and had seen Zeratul do the same. Both times he had been impressed by the protoss’s speed, strength, and skill. They were either warriors born or heavily trained. Either way, he had been awed by them. Watching the protoss battle the zerg had been like watching a trained swordsman moving through a raging mob—the swordsman moved smoothly, gracefully, and wielded his blade with precision, while all around him the mob rampaged mindlessly, using nothing more than brute force and vast numbers to overwhelm.

But this time the swordsman faced another swordsman. Or rather, two bands of swordsmen faced each other.

It was an amazing display. Raynor was sure he missed much of it, because the protoss simply moved too quickly for him to follow. A Zealot would pivot forward, dancing as much as attacking, and his arm would lash out, blade crackling in the thin air, sparks appearing as the energy ignited stray bits of ash and soot. A Dark Templar would float forward to meet the attack, spinning around, one arm swinging up smoothly, glittering blade extended, and the two energies would cross, blue and green colliding, shedding flickers of shadow and brightness in all directions, dazzling the eye. Then the two combatants would pull apart and step away, only to circle and close and strike again. Not once, that Raynor saw, did a blade connect with flesh. Each blow was matched by a countermove, each blade blocked by another blade. This wasn’t slaughter, or even bloodshed. It was a dance, a display, a show of skill and talent and art.

It was beautiful. And for someone like Raynor, who had grown up with harsher realities and rougher tools, it was a brief glimpse into another world. What would it be like to be from a race whose combat had become so stylized, so perfect, that it was poetry to watch? A race that could fight without wounding, win without killing, defeat with hurting? He couldn’t even imagine it.

As their warriors battled, the two leaders had watched, unmoving. “Your warriors are well-trained,”

Tassadar commented after several minutes, his words halting, as if they had been dragged from him against his will. Raynor could hear the grudging respect in them.

“As are yours,” Zeratul replied, returning the compliment more easily. He nodded at his counterpart.”Queen of Blades

- Defense: Psionic Shield (which Vorazun has worked on bolstering) and Light Armor. Their main defense is of course their cloaking Special Powers : (Exclusive to Nerazim….not possessed by Blood Hunters or Avengers). Recently, with the fall of Shakuras, the Nerazim have poured their focus into mastering the Void with intensified passion that has borne fruit. In addition to their cloaking the remaining Nerazim warriors have learned the special ability: Shadowstrike. This ability allows the Nerazim to bypass all ranged and teleport right into melee combat. There they launch a barrage of teleporting strikes(5) so fluid and rapid that the enemy cannot hope to hit them. They skim the outskirts of reality, emerging quickly from the shadows, attacking and disappearing before they can get shot (in game they are actually invulnerable). As Nerazim are naturally suited to assassination they can use the opportunity to kill officers, disable transportation, wound strong foes and generally just inflcit havoc on enemy lines. However using the ability is taxing, and after a couple or so strikes it wears off, leaving the Dark Templar to fight as a normal, cloaked, shielded warrior. That said their last ‘teleport’ is always back to the spot they initially jumped from, meaning that if they are not engaged in combat when they start they can retreat until they regather the energy to try again (or just charge in as normal). As Vorazun’s coop shows, some Dark Templar have learned longer ranged blink teleportation as well as the Blood Hunter’s Void Prison. “In the time it had taken Vorazun to incapacitate this Nerazim, Mohandar had already dealt with two other rebels. He was leaning on the center table, shaking from exhaustion.

Vorazun searched the room for Taelus. He was gone, hidden from sight. In the midst of a strike. Vorazun dived to the side to avoid the attack, but it never came. Not for her, at least. Taelus reappeared from a roiling mass of smoke. He was a blur of violet robes, verdant gems, and clattering zerg bones. His warp blade carved an emerald crescent through the air as he stabbed forward, plunging the weapon straight into Mohandar's back. The tip of the warp blade burst through the elder's chest. It was a clean strike. A single killing blow.”- Dark Templar teleport in action VARIANTS Avengers : Just as the Nerazim have mimicked the former Khalai, so too have the Khalai mimicked the Nerazim. In the days following Amon’s possession of most of the Khala many of the survivors swore oaths of vengeance and looked to the Nerazim as guidance. They trained in the ways of te Nerazim and returned to Auir in secret to wage war with Amon. However though they do not know the Shadowstrike move, they did upgrade their suit’s crystal matrices, allowing these devices self-awareness to teleport the user out of the way the moment before a deadly blow is struck. They are then teleported back to the Dark Shrine with restored shields and immediately ready for another battle (though the matrix doubtless has flaws and needs a while to recharge before doing so again). Blood Hunter: The final variant, a variant that actually emerged independently of the Nerazim, are the blood hunters or the assassins of the Tal'darim. Due to their brutal and unforgiving society, any weakness in their numbers is despised. Tal'darim deemed too weak to be of service by the Highlord are hunted down and slain by the blood hunters. These Blood Hunters,permanently cloaked like their Nerazim compatriots, also posses the ability to cast Void Prison. Cast only on ground this psionic temporarily disables all attacks, abilities, movement ect by the target. Cast strategically it can temporarily disable detectors or remove overpowering units from the fray long enough for their allies to be dealt with.

Additional Factors: Can merge into an archon with High Templars or other Dark Templars. Can merge into a Dark Archon with other Dark Templars. HIGH TEMPLAR

Weapon Type: Psionic Powers Armor Type: Light Body Suit Max Range: (Lore) Line of Sight Preffered Range: See Above Mobility: 6 Training : 7-9 Classification: Psionic Support Utilized By: Auir, Taldarim Basic Description: The High Templar are the most seasoned warriors of the Protoss armies, an elite cadre who have advanced far beyond the Zealots to attain an even higher plane of martial focus. Although they excel in physical combat, High Templar prefer to use psionic attacks that they have developed through intensive training. The Protoss have such powerful psionic abilities that their presence inadvertently disrupts other life-forms. With careful guidance, High Templar can learn to augment this effect, creating storms of raw psionic energy that can tear apart the minds of lesser species. As veteran warriors, the High Templar have attained a superior plane of martial focus, where control and ironclad stoicism replace the battle rage and traditional forms of combat employed by the Zealots.

The High Templar’s training has also amplified their psionic presence to such a degree that it is capable of disrupting the physical world around them. By concentrating this power, the High Templar can unleash massive storms of psionic energy that rip the minds, bodies, and machines of their enemies to shreds. LOADOUT PSI BLAST: Even without the energy to create storms, High Templars and the Ascendents can still blast singular foes with psionic blasts capable of melting minds and metal from afar. They can also fight with psi-blades as a last resort. DEFENSIVE Psionic Shields

The light armor suit is a scaled down version of the standard protoss power suit worn by high templar, being composed of light metal alloy reactive to Protoss psionics. The suit provides limited protection against small-arms. It may be configured with full life support, limited nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC) protection, and a transceiver to communicate without telepathy. These suits are less bulky and more intricately designed than their power suit counterparts. Like other forms of Protoss armor, teleportation matrixes are built into it.

SPECIAL POWERS

*these are exlusive to the High Templar Psionic Storms:

Protoss who follow the Khala can produce such a storm by closing their mind to the outside world, sending out psychic "ripples" that are described as ‘disruptive to the very atomic presence of the physical world’. With concentrated effort the high Templar can summon storms of raw psionic energy that tear apart molecular structures and shatter the minds of other species. n the novel Twilight it is shown that these storms also temporarily jam certain types of communication, such as the electronic types that the Terrans use. Such is the power of a psionic storm that it can send shockwaves through the air around it, so not even air foes can escape! In lore one of these storms was able to cover half a valley, decimating everything inside (including Terran 600 meter Battlecruisers, though these were not totally destroyed), with Shadow Hunter mentioning even bigger storms miles around. However presumably it would take a great deal of preparation and control to summon such a storm and the vast majority of the time they are far smaller than that. Recently the High Templars, with the fall of Auir and the severance of the Khala, have made another, major breakthrough. The average size of psionic storms have increased even further but the real change is that these have become so fine-tuned that they do not hurt the Protoss caught inside. Far from it the mass of psionic power actually serves to re-invigorate the psionic shields of Protoss troops and vessels. Meanwhile the psionic storm remains as deadly to the enemy inside as it was before. “The Marines and Firebats continued to dish out destruction in self-defense, but then one of the robed Protoss Templars climbed onto a pile of rocks. Raising his three-fingered hands to the sky, he summoned

an awesome Psionic Storm that battered the Wraiths into confusion, slamming the single-man fighters together, driving several down to the ground as if they had been hit by a huge invisible flyswatter.

Massively damaged, the Battlecruisers and the remaining Wraiths tried to pull away, but from the other side of the valley, a second High Templar called yet another Psionic Storm that hammered them from the east.

Only one of the Battlecruisers and three Wraiths managed to pull away to the relative safety of the foothills, limping back from the dangerous valley and leaving damaged and destroyed Terran vessels strewn all across the battlefield.”- Shadow of the Xel’naga (As the video shows they could be used very effectively with the Sentry, which is previewed in the support section). Feedback: High Templar are deeply attuned to the energy flows that surround them, whether its psionic energy or the universes fundamental particle currents. By means of their formidable psionic ability, these warriors can grasp the energy currents present in beings or machines, and drain them through a violent chain reaction. This backlash may cause grievous wounds to living beings, or massive structural damage to machines. If the target happens to bristle with energy, the powerful psionic Feedback may destroy it outright. Battlecruiser Yamato reactors, raven fabricators, zerg biological energy ect all can be effected by the High Templar. Though this might seem redundant given the potency of the psionic storm, this is actually far more damaging to those massive, singular foes like shielded hybrid or battlecruisers that could endure the psionic storm for a while. Hallucination(rare)

A more subtle power is the ability for high templar to create illusory duplicates of other objects. While these phantoms have no substance and cannot affect the material world, they are useful to confuse and divert the attention of the protoss' enemies. They can even make it appear like they are taking fire. In lore Tassadar was able to project his face over a Hydralisk to trick Kerrigan into killing it, and also could project himself into seeming like an ordinary zealot to avoid attention. Though usually these hallucinations do not last long in some cases, such as during Aldaris’s rebellion on Shakuras, they can be controlled to ensure longevity and be used as commander proxy, deflecting assassination attempts. ““Where?” Kerrigan wheeled about and spotted the High Templar the same time Raynor did. The protoss leader was now standing behind her, ten paces back, still looking unfazed. Raynor wasn’t sure how he had moved so quickly, and Kerrigan didn’t seem to care.

She practically skipped across the distance, bounding up and spinning, then landing on one foot and leaping to spin again. It was beautiful, a ballet of death, her body transformed into a single whirling blade, and in the time it took to blink she had closed the gap and her blades had found flesh.

The flesh of a hydralisk, which collapsed in pieces, its body still twitching as the image of Tassadar faded from it.

“An illusion?” Kerrigan howled, turning back toward “

- Khaydarin Amulet: Actually an item rather then a power, High Templars may also wear amulets carved from khaydarin crystals to improve their connection with the Khala and thus channel their psionic abilities with greater efficiency. Essentially with this they can cast more spells.

ASCENDANT (Tal’Darim Variant)

Ascendants climb the Chain of Ascension by killing, directly or otherwise, their superiors in Rak'Shir duels. After years of absorbing terrazine, a psionic boosting drug, and having the advantage of using their supplicant’s essence, they become very powerful and develop very powerful psionic powers. Psionic Orb: An Ascendant can fire a psionic ball of energy forward which crosses hundreds of meters at a time unleashing deaoy psionic energy on those it passes by. Though less potent than a psionic storm, the orb covers more ground. Mind Blast: Against monstrous foes that might prove difficult for the orb to destroy, the ascendant can focus his formidable psionic prowess into a powerful mind blast. Many but the most heroic or powerful would die instantly from such an attack. Sacrifice: As Tald’arim are a lot less concerned with the lives of their fellow Protoss they can drain psionic energy from their fellow Protoss at great harm for their victims. In game this will actually bring the afflicted Protoss near death but this ‘sacrifice’ will fully restore a depleted ascendant’s energy.

ARCHONS

Weapon Type: Psionic Shockwave Armor Type: Psionic Shields (massive) Max Range: Line of Sight

Proffered Range: ~150 meters Mobility: 3 Training: 9 Classification: Psionic Shock Troop Utilized by : Auir, Nerazim Size: 10 meters

Basic Description: Although their abilities are already impressive, High Templar and Dark Templar can wield even greater might by laying down their lives to merge their souls and form Archons. These unified Protoss spirits radiate incalculable power, unleashing psionic barrages against cowering enemy forces both in the air and on the ground. With the reunification of the Protoss race, any pair of High Templar or Dark Templar, or even one of each, can be fused together. The Protoss are loath to sacrifice their loyal warriors, but those who make this final commitment are forever honored in the memories of their people. In times of great need, two High Templar or Dark Templar can merge into a single entity that radiates overwhelming psionic power and rage. The decision to lay down the lives of valuable Templar is never made lightly. Perhaps their energy was spent. Perhaps their commanders, desperately needing a shock troop, gave them the order to do so. Maybe the warriors themselves chose this final act of sacrifice over succumbing to their injuries, as occurred in the Legacy of the Void trailer. Regardless of its origins, the Archon’s presence on the battlefield fills the minds of all beings—psionic or otherwise—with primal fear and awe.

As shown in the official Legacy of the Void, it takes a mere handful of seconds for two Templar to fully merge into an archon on the battlefield. Recently the Protoss, in their drive to refine everything for the maximum of potential, have succeeded in allowing the Archon to retain knowledge of its High Templar spells. Meaning those formed of a high Templar can cast Feedback and Psionic Storms. LOADOUT Psionic Shockwave: Archons use rage and will to shape their energy into deadly Psionic Shockwaves. These powerful blasts rip organic tissue apart, causing massive damage through rapid cellular degeneration—like preternaturally sharp subatomic scalpels performing a dissection—and the transfer of thermal energy. While Psionic Shockwaves are most effective against biological targets, even heavy plating yields before their might. Artanis’ High Tempalrs have recently researched the High Archon, which allows Archons to cast feedback and psionic storm. -Melee: See above -Defense: Massive Psionic Shield (all versions) : The Protoss Energy shield of the Archon is strong that it can temporary deflect furious Ultralisk blows, tank siege tank rounds, or endure all manner of firepower.

The Archon is, for the most part, a being of pure energy that hovers above ground by displacing gravity itself. Nonetheless, this embodiment of power has a nigh-intangible physical form with unmistakable Protoss features—a remnant of the Templar who sacrificed their lives to bring it into being. Its purpose is to shape and anchor the psionic maelstrom, preventing the Archon from burning out like a star as soon as the merging is complete. Underneath all that they do have plate armor, but it won’t stand up for long to heavy fire.

DARK ARCHON

"Fear not, comrades, for we have archons of our own! Should the dire need arise, all Dark Templar may merge to become Dark Archons. Though we sacrifice our warriors in doing so, only the might of the Dark Archons can match the forces of Aldaris!" – Zeratul Like their high templar brethren, two dark templar sacrifice themselves in a psionic melding giving rise to the dark archon. The powers of dark archons extend well beyond those of the regular archon, more than compensating for their lack of any physical attack capability. The burning, crimson figure of the dark archon spreads fear across any battlefield. These powerful creatures of living psionic energy embody the eternal wrath of the Dark Templar. Dark archons wield psionic powers of the Void. The creation of the Dark Archon was always carefully regulated by the Nerazim leaders. Recently, with the fall of Shakuras, the creation of the Dark Archon has not only been sanctioned but even encouraged to an extent. As the Dark Templars explore new techniques in desperation a greater potential for this unit has been unlocked. The first is that while Archons are typically temporary things lasting for battles or breif campaigns before burning outthe Nerazim have somehow managed to explore avenues they hadn’t before, allowing their archons to survive a indeterminate but far longer time. As a result Dark Archons in Legacy of the Void can be warped in from elsewhere like a normal unit rather than being strictly required to warp in on the field. The second is that the Dark Archon is capable of a psionic shockwave as a base attack that it wasn’t capable of before.

Third and most importantly the Dark Archon no longer loses its shielding when it casts a spell as it did in Brood War. OFFENSIVE: Psionic Shockwaves, though a bit weaker than the regular archon’s. DEFENSIVE: See the other Archon variant. SPECIAL: Feedback: See High Templar profile Maelstrom: It consists of a surge of mental energy, temporarily immobilizing a group of organisms over a wide area (potentially being hundreds of yards) . Those caught in the area of effect are unable to move, fire or use powers for a short amount of time. Confusion: This spell instill madness among enemy units, temporarily causing them to shoot and fire upon each other without pause . Mind Control : Although subtle use of psionics to influence others has long been utilized by the Judicator Caste, the ability to totally control the minds or bodies of others has long been thought to be impossible. This power of command is the ultimate weapon in the arsenal of the Dark Archon. Through an immense expenditure of will and energy, the Dark Archon projects a portion of its psychic essence into any material being, absorbing both the knowledge and powers of those who call themselves enemies of the Protoss. Dark Archons can even mind control the whole crew of combat vessels, though presumably this would result in a greater expenditure of energy. Those of incredible willpower, such as Kerrigan or the race of the Hybrids, can resist this mind control. Finally there is one variant, done only once in lore, that might be the most powerful of them all.

TWILIGHT ARCHON

This powerful creature, requiring a specific transformation, proved to be overpowering even to a horde of Zerg. So far it has only been done when a High Templar cut off from the Khala and re-learned the powers of the Dark Templar merged with another High Templar. Essentially one of the two individuals needs to know both the powers of the Void and the Khala, which are called in lore "Twlights" and are unicorn rare. The Twilight Archon, being a fusion of the two halves of the Protoss species, carries with it a variety of powers including A Dark Templar commander who looked on called this creature “the future”. And they kind of are, for they do something only Tassadar and Adun have been able to repeat; use the powers of both the Nezarim and the Khalai with full efficiency. With powerful psionic shockwaves, psionic storms large enough to be seen from space, teleportation and more this archon is going to be a rare, short-lived superweapon.

===LIGHT CAVARLY=== STALKER

Mobility: 8

Training:5 Utilized by: Nerazim, Purifier, Tald’arim Max Range: Roughly on par with the marine. Classification: Teleporting Walker Size: 5m tall The Stalker is the Dark Templar version of the Dragoon ,being modeled directly after the battlesuitHowever while the Dragoon contains the mortally injured body of a Templar warrior, the Stalker is a concept taken yet further. When the Nerazim is near death technicians of that faction are able to binds the ‘shadow essence’ of the Nerazim to the exoskeleton . Thus stalkers aren’t machines controlled by a Nerazim pilot; they are the Nerazim themselves. Stalkers are rather infamous for their void displacer technology or ‘blink’.This allows them to instantly fade away then appear elsewhere, bypassing cliffs, fortified positions or other obstacles. Though limited by range allows the Stalker to be the ultimate hit and run fighter, capable of raiding enemy supply lines or unprotected positions before quickly fading away. Or in pitched combat they can teleport to the rear of their own forces while shields recharge. Each “Blink” generates a flux that taxes the Stalker’s systems; it must go through a brief recharge period before initiating another displacement During the course of the End War Phasesmith Karax has installed further upgrades to this unit. Now when they teleport the in-built phase reactor draws energy from the touch of the void and restores some of their shielding (up to half of it, given game stats).

Loadout:

Armament: PARTICLE DISRUPTOR : The stalker’s particle disruptor fired antimatter bolts sheathed in psychically charged fields. The anti-matter cancels out with the normal matter that is the target's armor and thus creates a burst of photons damaging to a target. It can pierce through Terran Marine armor with ease and rock a tank in a single blast.

- Defense: Plasma Shields . The Stalkers are built into an armored walker that, while not as heavy as its Dragoon cousin, is still tougher then Zealot armor.

Variant: Instigator: The Tald’arim and the Purifiers also have Stalkers. In the case of the former it appears to be stolen almost entirely from the Nerazim with little to no significant differences. The Purifier variant, known as the Instigator, lacks the regenerative shielding of the phase reactor but possesses the ability to ‘store’ multiple ‘charges’ in their Void Displacer, allowing for more rapid and continuous teleporting.

ADEPT

Weapon Type: Psionic Glaive Armor Type: Power Suit Training: 6-7 Mobility: 8 Classification: Psionic Ranged Infantry Max Range: Roughly 500m Preferred: Variable

Role: Harassment, Ranged Warrior, Officer Utilized By: Auir-Purifier mix Recognizing the need to fill the void between High Templar and Zealot, Hierarch Artanis recently commissioned the officer class known as the ‘Adept”. They were deployed in the End War, when groups of Templar volunteered to adopt Purifer ordinance refined by Phase-smith Karax. This ordnance allowed the Templar to amplify their psionic potential and project their minds for teleportation while weakening their enemies. The Adept is a short ranged warrior capable of attacking land and air targets, but with a specialization in light, biological units. However the most notable ability is to project a psionic image of itself, insubstantial and invulnerable to harm, that can be then used for all manner of tactical options. These visions can then be sent to the rear of the enemy, up higher ground, scouting, to a safe spot far away or even directly into enemy ranks, as the psychic feedback caused by touching one of these shades makes the victim far more vulnerable to damage for a temporary period. After a couple seconds the adept can teleport to the shade’s location- or cancel it, if the adept is not satisfied with the placement.

OFFENSIVE: Glaive Cannon: Psionic weapons said to be able to punch through light armor with ease. DEFENSIVE: Plasma Shield, power suit (see Zealot) .Also seems to be carrying a regular shield. Their psionic shades are invulnerable.

===ARMOR==== IMMORTAL

Weapon Type: Phase Disruptors Armor Type: Exoskeleton, Hardened plasma shields Speed: Slow Classification: Protoss Assault Walker/Tank Utilized by :Auir, Nerazim & Tald’arim Size: 8 meters tall Basic Description: Before the loss of Aiur, crippled Protoss warriors could volunteer to continue their service by transplanting their shattered remains into Dragoon exoskeletons. For a time the remaing technology was lost. The remaining Dragoons, now known as Immortals, were then refitted with Twin Phase Disruptors and hardened energy shields. These heavily armed and shielded fighters give critical support by eliminating enemy artillery and ranged attackers, although they are vulnerable to rapid assaults from lesser foes. For a time the Immortal seemed to be doomed to die an early exctinction. In the attempted reconquest of Auir, the Protoss recovered the dragoon shines allowing them to create more of these walker type units. However they did not abandon the Immortal archtype but rather refined it and divided it. Determining who had a right to be an immortal or dragoon was now a question of rank. Those who had demonstrated immense skill, who were of high rank or notability, were made into immortals- the rest made into dragoons. Ideally the Protoss would have liked to have made them all into immortals however this strained the resources of their already ailing race.

LOADOUT: Armament: Immortals are equipped with dual Phase Disrupter cannons, upgraded versions of the original Dragoon weapon systems, which fire powerful antimatter bolts sheathed in pure energy. These blasts can easily punch large holes in heavy plating, but their limited field of fire prevents Immortals from engaging aerial targets. Recently, Karax has experimented somewhat with adding Nerazim shadow cannons to this model from the variant “Anihilator”. Defense: Hardened Shields: The use of energy for defensive purposes is a standard Protoss practice. By intertwining spectrums and wavelengths of varying intensity, they have created an incredibly dense field that mitigates powerful impacts—like siege tank cannon fire, or the blades of an Ultralisk—through energy dissipation. When the remaining Dragoons were turned into Immortals, the Protoss decided to outfit them with these Hardened Shields in an attempt to further preserve their most ancient and venerable warriors..As a weakness, these shields do not activate when hit by small attacks and can be overpowered by a almighty one, like a Yamato cannon. However recently the Protoss have experimented with outfitting Immortals with an alternative type of shielding, this one capable of withstanding much more damage in theory including from small attacks, butt which has to be activated by a built-in generator. This effect lasts a few seconds and can recharge quickly after use. Exoskeleton: Even without the hardened shield, the Protoss Immortal has the armor of a tank, and will be difficult to fully put down. Immortal pilots live in a sterile nutrient solution saturated with microscopic machines, which helps preserve their mangled bodies. The machines repair aging tissue, destroy any foreign matter that might penetrate the cockpit—usually due to hull breaches—and regulate the pilot’s heart rate, brain activity, and biological functions. The Vanguard and Annihilator lack the heavy defense of the Immortal proper, but still possess powerful plasma shields and the exoskelaton.

Variants:

Anihilators: The immortal design proved to be so successful that two other Protoss sub-factions copied from it. The Nerazim believe that their connection to the Void strengthens near death. To this end they have employed immortal technology on some of their warriors to hold them in such a state of neardeath indefinitely, greatly boosting their powers While these ‘Annihilators’ are still extremely armored and protected by a powerful energy shield, the main defense is removed and replaced with a secondary cannon known as the ‘Shadow Cannon’. This shadow cannon, firing straight void energy, is a extremely powerful cannon that while slow to recharge can destroy or devastate enemy tanks, flyers, monstorous creatures, even capital ships (at least in game) with a single salvo. It has a massive range as well, on par with the collosus or siege tank. Vanguards: The Tald’arim take a different approach. To them being forced into a immortal is not a mark of honor, but of shame. The vanguard are piloted by Tal'darim warriors that fell in battle. Disgraced in defeat, they are placed in a vanguard for one more chance to make up for their failure. They revel in causing as much destruction as they can before dying in service to their Highlord. Instead of Phase Disruptors they are armed with scatter cannons- long range mortar-like weapons that cause immense damage to ground units at range, particularly against armored. Each blast fires multiple projectiles out Of the three the vanguard, as per its mass-destruction goal- is the best at causing massive damage to groups of foes.

DISRUPTOR

Mobility:5 Training: 5? Weapon Range: Immediate Vicinity-‘energy ball’ can be controlled at artillery range. Classification: Anti-infantry specialist Utilized by: Purifier Size: 7 meters The Disruptor was created under the Purifier program, which, through technological advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence, sought to replicate consciousness as data, preserving the thought processes and decision-making capabilities of formerly living beings. Originally, this construct was designed to channel the power of its Solarite Reactor through its alloy hull—rendering it invulnerable until the accumulated energy reached critical mass and unleashed a violent explosion.

The stress to the Disruptor’s systems and structure proved too much to handle, but further refinements harnessed the destructive capabilities of the Solarite Reactor, allowing the Disruptor to perform its primary function: annihilate its intended targets with directed spheres of unstable energy.Now, instead of having to rapidly close to do damage, the Disruptor can attack at artillery range. Offensive: Purification Nova: When activated, the disruptor emits a ball of glowing solarite energy. This solarite ball can be directed to close in to the enemy. The ball of energy is invulnerable and moves extremely rapidly. Once in range the energy ball explodes outward with a blast radius exceeding that of a Reaver’s and more powerful too. As a weakness the disruptor is immobile while it controls this energy however with artillery range it can remain far away. Defense: Shields and Vehicle Plate.

Reaver

Weapon Type: Scarabs Armor Type: Dense Plates Speed: Slow Classification: Heavy Siege Crawler Utilized by :Auir Size: 9 meters tall, 20 meters long

Basic Description: The Reaver evolved from a civilian mobile manufacturing unit that was militarized to become a mobile artillery piece, ensuring that fewer lives would be lost when assaulting enemy bases. Somewhat fittingly, reavers are renowned for leveling entire colonies in minutes. Often works in tangent with air support, to compensate for its slow speed. The reaver itself does not mount any weaponry, but instead houses a micro-manufacturing plant similar to the carrier, producing tiny robotic drones known as scarabs. Though it originally fell into disuse after the Brood War, the recent war with Amon has seen the Reaver resurge as a major weapon against the forces of the Dark Xel’naga. LOADOUT: OFFENSIVE: Scarabs are small, highly explosive & electromagnetic drones constructed and launched by reavers. They are launched at enemy targets and installations in groups, able to level enemy structures in moments. Unlike interceptors however, Scarabs do not return to the reaver. Instead, they explode on impact, generating devastating electromagnetic fields that cause heavy damage to their targets, capable of killing a dozen armored marines in a single explosion! Ten Scarabs can be held at once (in addition to the ability to build more). Scarabs have an inner tracking system allowing them to follow targets limited distances. During the war Artanis upgrades his reavers with Solarite payload, which boosts their explosion radius by 25%. Mobile Manufacturing plant: The Reaver does not run out of ammo, for it keeps producing its own.

Defense: Plasma Shield (Vehicle level- stronger then infantry)

Plating: The Reaver is covered in heavy, dense plating of an unknown metal, which is shown to be stronger than the metal of most tanks. Protoss metal does not corrode or rust.

Colossus

Weapon Type: Thermal Lances Armor Type: Plasma Shield, plated armor Classification: Weapon of Mass Destruction Utilized by : Auir, Purifier, & Tald’arim Max Range: Estimated 12.44 miles Role: Artillery, Anti-infantry Size: 70 meters tall Basic Description: “"There’s a terror I don’t need to tell you about however. It needs no introduction. It’s been slapped on every billboard and leaflet you've ever seen pertaining to the Protoss, and it is truly one of the most fearsome sights you could ever behold. The Colossus, standing at over 17 stories tall, is a skyscraper of destruction. We've gone and compiled a full report on all the data we've managed to gather on this fearsome tower of death, but honestly, all I feel after reading it is more afraid. Still, it is essential to understand our enemy, overcome any hesitation, and press forward."- Radio Liberty The towering Colossus is a Protoss robot design dating back to the bloody conflicts of the Kalath Intercession. It strides across the battlefield on four tall, slender legs that allow it to cross steep elevations with ease. The Colossus’ heavily armored hull carries two powerful Thermal Lances, with one on each side of its body. The robot’s beam attack cuts a broad swath across its targets, making the

Colossus an ideal anti-infantry weapon. Unlike most other Protoss robots, the Colossus was created purely for destruction. Manufacturing Colossi has been outlawed for centuries, but the increasingly desperate war against the Zerg has forced the Protoss to revive the line. LOADOUT: Armament:

These twin cannons fire beams of superheated plasma that quickly incinerate scores of enemy ground targets. While powerful, Colossi weapons originally presented a design issue, as their range is somewhat limited. Khalai phase-smiths built an extended Thermal Lance with enhanced airflow that could operate at higher temperatures, increasing beam velocity and effective range without loss in power output. A colossus's beam cuts a fiery swathe of destruction through multiple enemies with each firing cycle, able to reduce a group of marines to ashes in an instant. Indeed in the short story of the same name it is shown that Dark Templars, in a possible vision, can be utterly erased by these lances in an instantdestroying plasma shield, armor, and warrior in a single blow, as well as erasing the building covering them in an instant! ! In the official short story, the Colossus was described as "incinerating every surrounding molecule until a silhouette, loving in its perfection and detail, had been etched into the earth" . They aregenerally tough to take out too, as in the short story Momentum a seige tank operator relayed how three Collosi had attacked his base and it had taken the sacrifice of an entire wing of goliaths and “more vikings than he cared to count’ to kill two + cripple the third.

The Colossus’ Targeting System uses a robotic AI—along with gravity-sensitive gyroscopes—to analyze target composition, and predict their movement patterns. This ensures the Thermal Lance’s beams will sear a path of maximum destruction among enemy forces. The Targeting System is so precise that the Colossus can fire its weapons point blank without risk of damaging itself. All variants of Collosi possess this boost. Defense: It has a stronger then average Plasma shield, and a heavily armored hull . It is so large however that it is an easy target even for aircraft. VARIANTS: Purifier Collosi: While the Auir faction has utilized the deadly Collosi for two years now, recently Artanis has rediscovered the original precursor Collosi variant of the Purifiers. This Collossi is amazingly even more deadly, capable of firing beams of such superheated plasma that to even walk on the land that its thermal lance has torn through is to be incinerated. Even those foes that survive the Collosi’s initial barrage of lance would be set aflame by the lingering fire. Wraithwalkers are the Tal’darim variant. They had their thermal lances replaced with charged pulse blasters, making them powerful against priority targets. These charged weapons specialize in destroying monstrous foes like ultralisk or thor, but are weaker against hordes by their nature. However, unlike regular collosi, the Wraithwalker is capable of targeting aircraft.

====AIR COMBAT===== Both the Nerazim and the Tal’darim have fleets of their own, however The ‘Golden Armada’ is the Pride and joy of their army.. Composed of thousands of vessels is a symbol of their extreme might and qualitative prowess and the single greatest air-space threat in the entire sector. This is shown in Heart of the Swarm where Kerrigan blanched rather than face down its wrath. This is shown in Legacy of the Void where a possessed Protoss race was used against the united Terran Dominion under James Raynor and the best the Terrans could do is slow it down slightly. Protoss pilots receive all the same training that a ground based Templar does, and thus may have decades or centuries of experience. Many ships are also equipped with escape pods to preserve their lives or they could be presumably warped out.

CORSAIR

Type of Aircraft: Starship Fighter or Bomber? : Multi-purpose Fighter Weapon Type: Neuron Flare Armor Type: Ship plating and Plasma Shield Classification: Anti-base defense, escort fighter Size: Corsair is 12 meters depth (give-take half a meter), 20 meters in length Basic Description: These fast, medium sized warships were built by the Dark Templar to safeguard their wandering fleets. Employing a devastating Neutron Flare in a ship to ship combat, the Corsair is a versatile addition to the Protoss fleet. With its powerful Disruption Web, the Corsair can even prevent warriors deployed on planetary surfaces or defensive structures from attacking. This ability, when used as part of a large siege, is an invaluable asset to Protoss warfare. Recently, the Corsair has been brought back in full for support duties in the End War. Worse for the enemies Vorazun has installed cloaking devices en masse on all her vessels. Loadout:

Armament: Corsairs were armed with twin neutron flares to attack ships. These weapons specialize in light craft but have difficulty dealing with the heavier variants. Defense: Plasma Shields, Light Ship plating. Special: Disruption Web:

The Corsair pilot can focus their psychic energy through the vessel's Neutron Emitter, which creates psionic static which disrupts neural impulses and renders computer-directed attacks inaccurate. The web is drawn towards the magnetic resonance found in ores and minerals. This static prevents all ground units and buildings (including base defenses such as bunkers and missile turrets) from attacking while they remain under it, but does not prevent attacks from outside (meaning if placed over a missile defense turret the turret wouldn't be able to fire, yet it could still be destroyed by the lances of Colossi.) . Affected units may still be attacked and damaged by units outside the web. Argus Jewel - Like the Templar and Archon talisman's, this acts as an additional storage of energy, allowing them to get more use of their disruption web.

This is very useful against Static Base defenses.

PHOENIX

Type of Aircraft: Spaceship Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter Weapon Type: Ion Cannons Armor Type: Plasma Shields, Protoss Vehicle Plating Classification: Versatile Air Superiority Fighter

Utilized by : Auir, Purifier Role: Scout, Air Superiority Size: 13.5 meters depth (height) 31.5 meters length

The Phoenix is a swift and deadly spacecraft that is rapidly replacing the older Scouts and Corsairs of the Protoss main fleet. Phoenix patrols are a common sight on the outer rim of Protoss territory, where they scour deep space for alien threats. The Phoenix’s armament of Twin Ion Cannons is well suited for shipto-ship combat; when confronted by particularly dangerous enemies, a Phoenix pilot can unleash a short-lived gravity beam by overloading the ship’s warp field through its inertial drive. The beam can immobilize an opponent for a few precious seconds.

Loadout: Armament: Twin Ion Cannons : The main weapons of the Phoenix fire energy beams that consist of negatively charged ions. These cannons are designed to allow the Phoenix to fire while on the move, but their short wavelength limits the travel distance of each shot, as well as the damage caused to heavily armored targets. The Ion Cannons’ effective combat range presented a problem until the Protoss began to replace the old focusing lenses with the more advanced Anion Pulse-Crystals. Energy Weave: This thin mesh looks like a highly advanced circuit board. It is made out of light-reactive fibers that absorb, channel, and redirect all types of energy—including the pilot’s psionic input. The Weave’s primary function is to maintain the coherence of the warp field that sheathes the Phoenix’s fuselage, and enhance the ship’s stability and maneuverability when banking, rolling, or sliding at high

speeds. In effect this makes the vessel’s propulsion and weaponry able to fire independently in different directions- a phoenix can be flying forwards and shooting backwards with ease. Graviton Beam: Phoenix pilots can use the ship´s inertial drive as a catalyst to channel the warp field that surrounds their craft. The result is a stream of anti-gravity—dubbed the Graviton Beam—which turns the target into a near weightless object, but also formerly forcedthe Phoenix to remain stationary while it’s active. The Graviton Beam was originally conceived as a last resort, one the Protoss fleet has come to embrace as an effective control weapon. In Legacy of the Void the khalai phase-smiths, realizing that the graviton beam had more importance than originally realized, finally fixed this design flaw. The Phoenix is now capable of picking up two foes at once with their graviton beams, while simultaneously being able to move around and fire. Though obviously they can’t move too far away from the uplifted target without canceling out their beam, they are no longer immobile, helpless in the air. Mirages also are not immobile, but can only lift one enemy in the air. Defense: Plasma Shield, Vehicle Plating. The Mirage can actually phase out of existence making it immune to damage all-together (while being able to attack.

Variant: The Phoenix proved powerful enough that the Purifiers copied the design, creating the Mirage. The mirage are Purifier vessels equipped with phasing technology that would be fatal should a biological pilot attempt to use it. This technology allows the mirage to temporarily become incorporeal when engaging enemies, allowing them to avoid enemy fire. Though the device allows for only temporary usage it recharges quickly.

SCOUT

Type of Aircraft: Starfighter Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter-Bomber Weapon Type: Photon Blasters/anti-matter missles Armor Type: Protoss Vehicle Plating, Plasam Shield Classification: Air Superiority Fighter, Scout Size: Scout is 16 meters depth, 36 meters long Basic Description: The Protoss regard the swift one-man Scout as a tool for exploration and light combat, but against the inferior technology of other species it is a formidable combat unit on its own. Scouts are armed with both air-to-air Missiles and ground-attack guns, making them effective against all targets. Recent developments in enhanced sensor systems and high-power engines have further increased its effectiveness. Loadout:

Armament: Dual Photon Blasters- Against Ground units, this would be equivalent to a helicopters machine gun. The Anti-Matter missiles- used against air and particularly effective against capital ships, are a much better choice. Anti-Matter Missiles are made from massively powerful substances, and it should be noted that a single gram of anti-matter against a single gram of matter results in an explosion 3 times that of Hiroshima. It is unknown how much anti-matter scouts put into their missiles. Defense: Plasma Shield, Protoss Vehicle Plating

VOID RAY

Type of Aircraft: Escort Ship Fighter or Bomber? : Unique Weapon Type: Prismatic Beam Armor Type: Protoss starship plating, plasma shield Classification: Beam of Death Role: Surgical Strike Craft, Anti-armor Size: Void Ray: 275 meters depth, 625 meters length

Basic Description: The reunification of the Aiur Protoss and the Dark Templar has allowed the two groups to combine their divergent technologies, and their collaboration has produced astonishing new developments. The Void Ray is built around the newly developed prismatic core, which serves as a virtually eternal power source. When the Void Ray has locked onto a target and deployed its flux field projectors, it can shoot searing beams of energy that grow exponentially more powerful over time. Even heavily armored structures and warships have been incinerated by the Void Ray, leading some Terrans to believe that it will eventually replace the Carrier as the flagship of the Protoss fleet. The void ray is built around a prismatic corean oblong crystal of synthetic origin that serves as a virtually eternal power source. The core derives its energy from both the Void and Khala, focusing them through phase crystals, and forming a self-sustaining reaction.[The core has multiple layers to contain and stabilize the violent maelstrom within, transforming a perpetual state of flux into usable energy for the vessel's weapons, engines, and systems. The void ray's armored hull consists of plates fashioned from a flexible alloy, and are designed to handle the stress caused by the sheer power of the core. The molecular stability of this alloy is very high, a quality that prevents the energies of the core from disrupting its atomic bonds and degrading its structure from within. The Void Ray’s design was successful enough that the Tald’arim stole it and created their own variant, the Destroyer.

Loadout: The Beam In order to turn the power of the Prismatic Core into a controllable weapon, the Protoss employ a firing system with multiple lenses to stabilize its energy output, and a phase crystal to shape it into a cohesive beam. To further enhance the vessel’s combat capability, the Nerazim added three flux field projectors to amplify the power of the Prismatic Core. These projectors channel streams of unstable energy into the phase crystal, increasing the effectiveness of the Prismatic Beam against heavily armored targets. Fortunately the short story Lens of the Void provides an example of the Void Ray ‘s different generators in action.

At Flux 1, the base setting of the vessel, the beam is noticeably smaller and weaker than all other settings. Looks can fool and the Void Ray can still incinerate armored marines, zerg hyrdralisks, even light vehicles with ease. However the beam is too weak to get through the heavy carapace of an Ultralisk at this stage, at which point the Nerazim operator would have to be called in. “"Bring a second flux field projector online. Keep the beam trained on that ultralisk."

The tone that vibrated through the ship changed pitch as a second arc of energy sprung up, merging with the first at the main crystal. Once again the ultralisk staggered, but then the beam began to liquefy its tough skin, and the zerg was torn apart, consumed from the inside out. "Target the remaining ultralisks." The beam fired, tearing through zerg flesh and bone. What had begun as an army, almost two dozen of the towering beasts, was quickly reduced to ash. The Purity of Form scoured the battlefield until the last ultralisk fell still, its body a smoking ruin.” On Flux 2 the armor of an Ultralisk melts pretty much instantaneously, and lesser creatures are vaporized. In the short story twelve of them were killed in moments. Maintaining this flux is draining however for the Nerazim operator, and the lesser experienced ones maybe killed. Which is why normally Flux 2 generators are as high as a Void Ray can go however for emergencies, there does exist one higher…. The Flux 3 generator. If Flux 2 can turn Ultralisks to mush in moments, the Flux 3 generator is more powerful still, an immense beam of death capable of consuming almost all it touches in an instant. In the short story the Void Ray ship, Purity of Form, had to fight off a Zerg assault all but by itself, and managed to do so under Flux 3.This Flux generator is extremely dangerous to use, will likely require two Nerazim or one master and has a high liklyhood of resulting in fatalities. “Once again the prismatic beam lashed out, carving through armor, tooth, and claw with ease. Feranon inspected the data. Although the brood lords couldn't defend themselves against the void ray's weapon, the Purity of Form wouldn't be able to eliminate them before they reached the nexus, the heart of the protoss base. There were simply too many of the beasts. Feranon turned to the focusing couch. "We need to bring the third flux field projector online. I understand the danger, but it is the only way we can save the base. Without the extra power, we will not stop the zerg from consuming the nexus. All of our gains during the last offensive will be for nothing." Theromos didn't answer; he merely looked at Sharas. Sharas, brow furrowed in concentration, nodded tersely. Feranon shouted out his command. "Bring up the third flux field projector!" Everyone immediately felt the results. The tone that filled the ship changed to an even higher note, one that vibrated throughout the crew's bodies. The beam tore forth, devouring brood lords whole. What armor they had didn't slow their deaths as the void ray's weapon converted beast after beast into flaming debris. Suddenly the beam began to stutter. A plaintive whine accompanied the ship's vibration. A shriek from behind him caused Feranon to swivel his chair.

Sharas no longer relaxed on her couch but writhed in pain. Dark purple tendrils of energy arced between the cables and her head, racing over the length of her body. Theromos leaned over Sharas and shouted, "Hold the power; guide it with your will! You must control it, or it will consume you." Feranon saw her attempt to relax, but a new torrent of what looked like concentrated shadows flowed around her, filled with bright flashes of lightning, and she screamed once more. "I cannot hold it! It evades my grasp. Please, teacher, help me." Theromos turned to Feranon, but the commander shook his head. "We need the beam until the attacking force is destroyed. Hold on."” In 2506, the phase-smith Karax devised solarite lenses for the void ray based on studying the Spear of Adun. The lenses allowed void rays to fire their beams further than normal as long as their prismastic lenses remained properly aligned. Defense: Plasma Shielding, Vehicle Plating Variant: The Talda’arim destroyer comes equipped with different weaponry. Instead of a prismatic core, their attacks are channeled by unstable bloodshard crystals. This creates an unstable beam that arcs between targets.Thus while lacking the extreme power of their Nerazim originals, the Destroyer’s arcs are perhaps a more effective form of crowd control particularly when in groups. And even armored foes will go down quickly if there are many arcing rays focused on them.

Tempest

Type of Aircraft: Seigecraft Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter Bomber/Artillery Ship Weapon Type: Storm Sphere Armor Type: Protoss Ship Plating, Plasma Shield Classification: Seige Utilized by : Auir, Purifiers, Tal’darim Basic Description: Recent protoss efforts to engineer new war machines have resulted in the Tempest, an immense capital ship designed as an answer to zerg and terran long range weaponry. In battle, Tempest pilots overload the kinetic matrix that powers their vessel, resulting in a buildup of extremely volatile energies. These forces are then propelled through the ship's hull and fused into a contained sphere of highly charged particles that can be launched at distant targets. But this firepower doesn't come without risks. Tempest pilots, known for their fanaticism and bravery, must wear bulky dampening armor to protect their bodies from the destructive energies coursing through their ships. Loadout:

Armament: Storm Sphere The Tempest’s kinetic matrix produces extremely volatile energies. These energies are routed through the multiple resonators, coils, and amplifiers housed in the claw-like fore of the ship, where they are fused into a sphere of highly charged particles. The resulting projectile, while unstable, may be launched over great distances to soften up enemy forces or deal with defensive emplacements before Protoss armies engage in glorious battle. In game these massive shots give the Tempest a specialization against massive foes and they outrange every other palyable starcraft unit (only the hybrid Void Thrasher has greater range in artillery mode).

Defense: The Tempest is a capital class ship, and its defense is much heavier. The Pilots themselves are also heavily armored, to prevent the energy that propels from the ships hull’s from hurting them. They are also very fanatical though, so they won’t care if they die in the service of the Protoss.

Variant: Purifier Tempest: At the close of the End War, Phase-smith Karax developed tempests that were integrated into the purifier data web, allowing them to be flown remotely. This allowed them to be outfitted with advanced disintegration weaponry at no risk to protoss pilots. These disintegration weapons can destroy even things as powerful as a battlecruiser in one or two shots (though over time).

Carrier

Type of Aircraft: Capital Ship Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter-Bomber Weapon Type: Interceptors Armor Type: Plasma Shield, Protoss plating Classification: Protoss capital ship Utilized by :Auir, Tald’arim Size: 1.4km(Interceptor: 4.5 meters depth, 10 meters length) Basic Description: The massive Carriers serve as operation centers for leaders of the Protoss fleet. Heavily armored and shielded, Carriers can punch their way through enemy blockades by unleashing flights of robotic Interceptors. Interceptors are maneuverable, computer-guided craft that can tear through flight formations and relentlessly strafe slower ground targets with their plasma charges. Interceptors are automatically manufactured and serviced inside of the Carriers’ bays, and a number of prepped Interceptors can be launched in rapid succession. In battle, Carriers appear to be virtual hornet’s nests of activity as their small allies dart swiftly in and out, alternating between attacking enemies and repairing damage. In 2506, during the End War, phase-smith Karax was able to miniaturize the Spear of Adun's reconstruction beam technology that allowed it to remotely repair mechanical units and structures. This allowed the Daelaam to arm their carriers with giant automated drones that could do the same types of repairs, greatly enhancing the longevity of their carriers and every other Protoss unit nearby. Loadout:

Armament: Interceptors (plasma Charges) Carriers typically deploy Interceptors for their main attacks. Some Carriers do have massive planetcracking purification weaponry however this is rarely utilized in atmosphere. These nimble robotic fighters are built in an automated manufacturing plant connected to the Carrier’s hangar, where diligent Khalai engineers see to their maintenance and launch operations. Each Interceptor is fitted with two small plasma cannons—as heavier ordnance would decrease maneuverability—and a simple AI with highly advanced targeting subroutines. Some of these fighters have independent fire-control circuits, which allow them to continue firing even if the enemy jams the command signal or destroys the Interceptor’s robotic brain. Though in game Carriers can only deploy eight interceptors, official concept art does sometimes shown them with far more.

Initially the deployment of Interceptors was slow, however the upgrade of the Graviton Catapult has greatly increased the speed by which they can be deployed. In addition in Legacy of the Void the Carrier was granted the release interceptor ability, allowing them to deploy interceptors at a immense distance, well off from the main vessel. Thus if a Carrier commander wanted to he could sent his interceptors on a devastating suicide run far off while building more in his hull to no cost.

Defense: Plamsa Shield. Hull Plates: Khalai craftsmen meticulously shape high-density alloys into thick curved plates, using extreme temperatures to remove any structural imperfections which could compromise their strength. Afterwards, the alloy is subject to a complex surface treatment that involves different gasses and substances. The resulting hull plates are not easily breached—be it by kinetic, thermal, or biological means.In lore these can withstand firepower from a massive zerg swarm or even opposing Portoss fleet for a while while alone, and even that might not be enough to gaurentee the Carrier’s destruction. The Carrier’s sheer size- over a thousand meters according to the tech book- affords it a great amount of innate durability as it can sustain multiple crippling shots, even a zerg swarm tearing into it for a while, before going down. Also now has repair drones. Special: Transport: The Carrier can in lore carry many Protoss, including scout ships and arbiters. Manufacturing: Carriers manufacture interceptors. When deployed the strike craft attack and retreat rapidly to the carrier for repairs and rearmament. .

MOTHERSHIP

Type of Aircraft: Ultimate War Vessel Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter Bomber Weapon Type: Purifier Beams Armor Type: Plasma Shields, Plating Classification: Ultimate Vessel Utilized by :Auir, Tald’arim Size: 2.7km Basic Description: During the golden age of Protoss expansion, Motherships led vast armadas throughout deep space. In the centuries since, these primary command ships had departed the field of battle and become holy shrines, venerated by mystics and historians. But the loss of Aiur has convinced the Protoss to resurrect their oldest and most powerful weapons. All Motherships hold a huge khaydarin crystal infused with enough psionic energy to distort the very fabric of time and space. When wielding this force, these vessels can instantly destroy squadrons of enemy ships or even entire planets.

The Mothership’s hull, comprised of three slowly rotating wings, projects a tightly woven energy dome which allows for a life-sustaining atmosphere within the confines of the vessel, and turns harmful deepspace radiation into surplus energy for shields and primary systems. The Mothership’s core itself has a similar barrier whose sole function is to keep the crew on the rest of the ship safe from the powerful energies it generates. Motherships are very rare vessels, and though the Protoss once possessed thousands of them they are far fewer now. However there are still enough to make an impact and it is notable that, in the final mission of Legacy of the Void, every assault by the possessed Golden Armada was spearheaded by a Mothership . The Protoss can also create new ones by upgrading mothership cores, so they are replaceable.

Loadout:

Armament: Purifier Beams: These beams-each mothership possesses six of them- vary heavily in power. Sometimes they are weaker, but the Mothership has other systems to compensate. Other times, such as in the short story of the same, these beams are powerful enough to utterly wipe out any Zerg they touch in a single blow - ground or air variants and even successfully annihilate zerg leviathans (though with backup). Entire Swarms of mutalisks and devourers perished once the Mothership Moratun brought the purifier beams to bear (even given that shields of the Mothership were at ten percent). Each beam can track foes independently. Defense: The Single most powerful Protoss vehicle other than the arkship. In the short story Mothership it tanked simultaneous blows from mutalisk swarms, devourer attacks even dozens of scourges crashing into it (for reference, one scourge is enough to blow up a Terran dropship or Protoss Warp Prism while a handful can breach the hull of a battlecruiser) . After tanking ‘dozens of scourges’ + attacks from the other two creatures the shields of the Mothership Moratun were only reduced to eighty percent. It took several more such barrages of dozens Scourges plus ever more mounting numbers of Devourers and Mutalisks (adding to numbers already present) to continuously reduce it

further. By the time the pacifist Mothership operator finally relieved the Zerg needed to be destroyed shields were still at ten percent despite having accumulated a massive aerial swarm attacking it. Even assuming one can down this shield the Mothership still have incredibly thick vehicle plating. And if the enemy can bypass that its size alone means that, unless a key part is quickly destroyed, the Mothership can sustain much damage before going down. Special: The Mothership has many powers, both in game and Lore, over its iterations. -Vortex: The Mothership creates an interdimensional rift, sucking anything it catches inside. Those caught in it are violently removed from play for a time . -- Mass Recall: The Motheship could weaken space-time, tearing rifts in the fabric of space-time, creating a vortex linking another location to the Mothership's location. This could be used to move personnel and supplies over long distances. In this way an outnumbered Protoss force can experience a massive reinforcement rate in seconds, as the Protoss recall units from other areas of the planet.

--Cloaking Field: The Mothership’s khaydarin crystal core radiates a considerable amount of quicklydissipating energy. Once the Mothership becomes fully operational, this dissipating power is absorbed by the wings and projected as a cloaking field that covers a wide area around the vessel. The Mothership itself does not benefit from said field, but it renders nearby Protoss forces, structures, and allies invisible to the naked eye. - Temporal Rift: Temporal Rift slows all movement speed, attack speeds and ability cast times by two thirds within a small area of effect. - Wormhole Transit: Allows the Mothership to instantly travel to a Protoss building, bringing with it any nearby Protoss units. This can be used as either a quick way to get back to base or to save a failed assault. -Some Motherships in campaign demonstrate the ability to function as a psionic matrix, capable of warping in units around it.

Tald’arim Mothership: The Tal'darim Alarak brought the Tal'darim's motherships to join the Daelaam after Alarak defeated Ma'lash in Rak'shir to become the new Tal'darim Highlord. The motherships were recognized by Rohana as highly modified from the Daelaam's motherships, with a focus on the total destruction of the Tal'darim's enemies. It does not have the cloaking ability. -Black Hole: The Tald’arim mothership tears a whole in the fabric of space-time, sucking up enemies in a miniature Black Hole. Unlike with the Vortex, which removes enemies to another dimension, those affected by the Tald’arim mothership are targetable and can be killed en masse. -Blink: Essentially the Stalker’s teleport, fitted for such a massive ship. -Thermal Lance: A far more powerful version of the Collosi’s thermal lance .

Purifier: When the main body of Protoss wants to completely annihilate a foe, the Purifier Mothership is brought in. This vast vessel has detection, the ability to warp in units around it, and most potently the Planet Cracker, an attack so powerful it could last waste to an entire Terran base in a shot (though it had to be right over it). Safe to say, that which is underneath it likely dies. More so the Protoss used nearby nexus to power its shields, making it virtually impenetrable to Terran weapons. Raynor, in defeating it, had to detour and destroy nearby Nexi first. Additional Factors:

===SUPPORT=== Arbiter

Type of Aircraft: Starship Purpose of Aircraft: Support Vessel Classification: Judicator Cloaking Vessel Role: Air Support Size: 85 meters depth, 125 meters length Basic Description:

The only warship to be crewed exclusively by non-Templar, the mighty Arbiter is used to provide special support for assault groups. Psychic Judicators crew the Arbiter ships, and they use the Arbiter as a focal point to project a reality-warping field that serves to conceal all friendly units within close proximity. Since the Arbiter must be anchored firmly in space-time to safely generate such a large field, it is immune to the effects and remains visible, even when surrounded by the field of another Arbiter.

After the initial fall of Auir this unit was temporarily abandoned. However recently the desperation of the End War has resulted in Artanis giving the order for mass construction of this vessel once more. While motherships are very potent, the arbiter is also far easier for the Protoss to manufacture en masse. Also like the mothership, they can recall troops to them by tearing fabrics into space-time, allowing the lone arbiter to save far off troops from bitter disaster or instantly bring in an assault force.

OFFENSIVE: Phase Disruptor Cannon: Essentially a ship version of the ground based photon cannon or dragoon weaponry. Weaker than the former, stronger than the latter. DEFENSIVE: Plasma Shield, Vehicle plating -Cloaking Field: Recall: See Mothership, though smallerattempt to drive off the alien attackers, but streaking Protoss Interceptors defended their ships. Without mercy, the alien fleet destroyed the five Wraiths and moved into position, ready to open fire again as soon as the stasis field wore off. . . .”- Starcraft : Shadow of the Xel’naga -Stasis Field: The Arbiter can manipulate strengthen space-time and create discrete pockets of spacetime, trapping objects and preventing those objects from interacting with objects outside of their pockets. In effect the Arbiter can freeze groups of enemy air units in time for a little bit, where they can neither be attacked or attack, allowing the Protoss to focus on their allies and then come back to them. Though the effect only lasts several seconds, as the marine commenter of the Starcraft tech manuel notes these seconds can be crucial. Finally in lore the Arbiter could serve as an emergency shuttle, able to transport units. “Next he watched the Wraiths take out four more Protoss Scouts. He rubbed his stubby hands together and looked around at his bridge crew. “I think we can pretty much rest assured of a victory here, men.” Lieutenant Scott frowned. “Perhaps that would be a bit premature, General.” Two Protoss Arbiters moved toward General Duke's fifteen clustered Battlecruisers. Duke looked at them with a sneer. “And just what do they think they're doing? Move the fleet forward. Take the Napoleonand theBismarckcloser with a squad of eight Wraiths to mop up the mess.” But as the two Battlecruisers separated from the rest of Alpha Squadron, the darkness of space suddenly wavered. The Arbiter fired a stasis field, an unfolding energy blanket that captured both Battlecruisers

along with three of the Wraiths. Although theNapoleonand theBismarckcouldn't be attacked while seized by the stasis field, neither could they make any moves of their own. With the stasis field in place, the five Protoss Carriers and eight Scouts—all of which had been cloaked by the Arbiter—moved forward to attack the now-exposed Wraiths like angry hornets pouring out of a nest that a foolish child had beaten with a stick. The Wraith pilots attempted to cloak, but remained vulnerable when a Protoss Observer exposed them again, stripping away their invisibility. The human pilots had no choice but to fire all their Gemini missiles in a last-ditch attempt to drive off the alien attackers, but streaking Protoss Interceptors defended their ships. Without mercy, the alien fleet destroyed the five Wraiths and moved into position, ready to open fire again as soon as the stasis field wore off. . . .” Shadow of the Xell’Naga

Oracle

Type of Aircraft: Support Starship Purpose of Aircraft: Time Manipulation/support Classification: Time manipulating warship Role: Battlefield assistance, Scouting, Economic Disruption Utilized By: Nerazim, Auir Size: Oracle: 21 meters depth, 22.5 meters in length Basic Description: The Oracle is an agile support vessel boasting some of the most advanced protoss technologies in existence. Deciding when to use the ship's combat systems is a specialty among Oracle pilots, as these brilliant individuals hail from an order of young dark templar dedicated to understanding--and controlling--time itself. Their unique knowledge allows them to calculate how their ships can most effectively turn the tide of battle. Although small in number, the Oracle pilots believe that they can change the outcome of any conflict, and by extension, the fate of the protoss race. They are farseers of a sort, using their shadowy visions of the past and future to inform maneuvers and dictate weapon deployment.

They can create cloaked stasis wards on the ground that, when activated, temporarily freeze the enemy in time removing them play for that duration. Loadout: Armament: Pulser Beam: Activation of the Oracle’s weapon system creates an opening in the warp field generated by the ship’s core. Raw energy flows through sets of simple focusing crystals, which shape each chaotic discharge into a coherent bolt. Shots from the Pulsar cannon simmer with violent power, and are designed to cause heavy damage to ground targets. Can only be activated for a limited time before the power runs out. Defense: Shields and Vehicle plating. Temporal Sight: Through their manipulation of space and time Oracles use their temporal sight to reveal cloaked or hidden units, or else cast a sort of ‘trace’ on enemy units for a limited time allowing the oracle to see everything they do. Stasis Ward: They can create cloaked stasis wards on the ground that, when activated, temporarily freeze the enemy in time removing them play for that duration. While originally these units inside could not be harmed, the Matriarch Vorazun has researched upgrades that allow for the Protoss to target and kill caught frozen in time. These stasis fields can serve as a excellent trap. Additional Factors: Counts as a detector.

Mothership Core:

Type of Aircraft: Prototype, half built spaceship Purpose of Aircraft: Base Protection Classification: Mothership in progress Size: 85 meters depth, 150 meters length Basic Description: Ever since their return from deep space, the ancient motherships have become an invaluable part of nearly every protoss fleet. But attempts to construct more of these formidable command vessels has proven costly and time consuming, especially amid battle. Faced with this problem, a few daring protoss began using the mothership's core--a massive khaydarin crystal infused with psionic energy--as a defensive weapon while the vessel's hull was under construction. This wildly successful tactic quickly spread throughout the protoss ranks. Now, many commanders are harnessing the core to protect their bases from attack, restore energy to troops and structures, and teleport entire armies across the battlefield. Loadout: Armament: Repulsor Cannon: After drawing power from the Khaydarin Crystal Core, the Repulsor Cannon projects a concentrated blast of semi-solid psionic energy—too dense for aerial combat—that causes damage by delivering kinetic and thermal energy. Each shot pierces matter violently, leaving a misty cloud of psionic fire in its wake. Defense: Medium Ship armor/plasma shields Special/ Detailed Purpose: The Mothership Core is a great base defender, with multiple casts and the ability to improve everything around it. The Mothership Core can do the following:

- Mass Recall : Mothership Cores share a strong psionic link with the Khaydarin Crystals present in every Protoss Nexus, and can use the crystals’ location as a warp beacon. By releasing a large amount of energy, a Mothership Core can unravel the weave of space-time, teleporting groups of warriors to any Nexus point in the vicinity. - Time Warp: The Mothership Core can bend space-time to create a field where the present dilates and stretches endlessly. The unpredictable energy flux within this field bears down heavily on anything that crosses it. Enemy forces caught in the Time Warp are slowed to a crawl, allowing the Firstborn to dispatch them with ease. - Photon Overcharge: By channeling a torrent of raw psionic power into the Nexus’ Khaydarin Crystal, the Mothership Core can turn it into a deadly weapon. In this state, the supercharged matrix fires psionically imbued photon bolts that can tear through enemy scouts and light raiding parties, as well as deter larger attack groups until reinforcements can be warped in. In Legacy of the Void the Mothership Core was changed to do this to a Pylon’s crystal instead which, though less powerful than a Nexi, are much more numerous. - The Protoss can, with time, change this into a full mothership.

Warp Prism

Type of Aircraft: Prism Purpose of Aircraft: Transport, Reinforcemetns Classification: Psionic Transport Used by : Auir, Tald’arim, Purifiers Size: Warp Prism is 25.5 meters depth, 46.5 meters length

Basic Description: For thousands of years the Protoss have studied the nature of time and space, gaining insight into the universe’s greatest mysteries. Using psionic manufacturing processes, they created a robotic mind whose programming is built into the molecules of an advanced crystal lattice. The resulting device is able to manipulate matter and energy with incredible precision. The protoss use warp prisms in several ways. The primary function of a warp prism is to transport protoss forces on the battlefield. Living and inorganic subjects are transformed into energy, and their unique signature imprinted into the prism's crystal lattice core. On reaching the desired destination the operation is reversed and the stored energy signatures are reconfigured into matter in proximity to the warp prism.In this way it can even carry a gigantic Colossi, though this takes away room from other units. When the Warp Prism arrives at its destination it quickly reverses the processs. Passengers are instantly reconfigured ready to fight.

A secondary but no less vital function of the warp prism is to act as a mobile focus for the protoss psionic matrix (see Support). Once the Prism is deployed it can power protoss structures around it. In this configuration warp prisms can be used to temporarily replace destroyed pylons in a colony or enable the rapid establishment of a forward base of operations. From this field it can also serve as a mobile point from which to warp in reinforcements. The Warp Prism cannot move while in “Phasing Mode”. It’s an advanced machine beyond Terran capabilities, capable of processing ‘near infinite’ amount of knowledge faster than the speed of thought. The Protoss, in acknowledging a weakness of the Warp Prism, have given it a Gravitic Drive that allows it to move much faster than before. Furthermore after seeing many Warp Prisms shot down in evacuation, the Warp Prism was recently gifted with the ability to pick up units from a distance, capable of taking them from a firefight without risking itself.

OFFENSIVE Armament: None

Defense: Said to have plasma shielding that is excellent at dissipating the energy of enemy strikes across their hull.

====SUPPORT=== Sentry

Armor Type: Plasma shield Type of Support: Drone Classification: Dedicated Protoss Caster-support Utilized by: Auir, Purifier, Tald’arim

Sentries are combat drones that are equipped with force field generators and holo-projectors. These deadly automatons are used to bolster the dwindling numbers of the protoss race, and to manipulate the outcome of major battles. Sentries can deploy massive guardian shields that protect friendly units, and reduce the damage they take from ranged attacks. They can also project force field barriers to stall

or split up opposing forces. Sentries also have the ability to create hallucinatory images that can draw enemy fire while a real protoss strike force maneuvers into position to deliver the killing blow. Loadout: Armament : Disruption beam : This focused energy beam disjoins the molecular structure of the target and disrupts its atomic chains—liquefying light armor and soft tissues. The effectiveness of the Disruption Beam decreases against targets with a high mass index—or dense plating—because most of the Sentry’s power is allocated to its formidable support systems. Defense: Plasma Shield (see Zealot), Light vehicle plating Special/Detailed Purpose: The Sentry has three different casts that make it extremely valuable for any Protoss force. --Guardian Shield: By weaving light into a semi-solid state, the Sentry can surround itself with an areaencompassing shield to safeguard Protoss ground forces. Projectiles or energy blasts that penetrate the field lose some of their kinetic or thermal energy, and part of their effectiveness. Due to its considerable coverage radius, the Guardian Shield is not powerful enough to make much of a difference against larger types of ordnance, but it does offer an additional layer of protection to the mighty warriors of Aiur.

--Hallucination: Sentries can manipulate light into solid shapes to create three-dimensional replicas of Protoss warriors, vehicles, or constructs. Each replica, while limited in duration, is able to withstand some degree of punishment. The purpose of these life-like images is twofold: making the enemies of Aiur believes they’re fighting a much larger force than anticipated, and protecting Protoss lives. --Forcefield: Sentries can turn bursts of energy into a small, impenetrable barrier to hinder, block, or funnel the advance of enemy troops. While creatures or machines of prodigious size can shatter the cohesion of these translucent Force Fields, ordinary soldiers and vehicles become fodder to Protoss particle disrupters, disruption beams, thermal lances, and purifier beams.

--Portable Shield Batteries: In 2506 the Protoss Phase-smith Karax succeeded in miniaturizing the Shield battery technology for their defense and fitted sentries with the technology. They can now ‘heal’ Protoss shields in battle, up to two units at a time.

.

Variants: The Sentry has proven popular among the various Protoss factions. Both the Tald’arim and the Purifiers have adopted this unit into their own ranks, with significant changes. -Energizer: The Purifier variant is equipped with three primary features. Note That Karax has recently upgraded this unit so that it’s energy regeneration is doubled. Power Field: The first is the ability to transform and generate a power field around it, allowing units to be warped in or providing power to nearby structures. The energizer cannot move or attack, but may still use abilities. Chrono-booster: This is an on-board device that, when targeted allied unit, boosts their attack and movement speed by 50%. Reclamation: This ability, recently researched by the phase-smith Karax, allows the Energizer to hack into and seize control of enemy of an enemy mechanical unit. This includes both Protoss and Terran units, for Protoss A.I. has incredible hacking abilities. It also includes cybernetic and battlesuit units, with the lore explanation being that the biological pilots are locked out of their hacked systems. However Terran marine suits cannot be hacked, and it is doubtful they could hack over a system where the suit gives the wielder control via nerves. Energizer control only lasts a couple minutes however towards the end of this hacking (and destroying the Energizer doesn’t stop the hack) a pulse is sent that causes the stolen unit to self-destruct. That is assuming it isn’t sent into great danger first. -Havoc: The Tal'darim stole a number of sentries from the Daelaam and reprogrammed them, replacing their shield generators with on-board targeting systems. However, their force field generators remained intact. The Havoc has two new abilities . Target lock: functions exactly like Tau Markerlight in that it’s a concentrated beam that exposes weak points on an enemy unit, making nearby Protoss units able to kill it faster. Weapon Boost: The second is a general boost in weapon range to all nearby Protoss units by a hundred meters or so.

Observer

Type of Aircraft: Drone Purpose of Aircraft: Scouting/detection Sensor Range: At least several kilometers Classification: Cloaked Scouter Role: Scout, Detection Used by: Auir, Purifiers, probably Taldarim Size: Observer is 4 meters height and length Basic Description: These small drones are employed to survey vast wasteland areas or record battles for the Protoss archives. Their complex sensor array, composing of self-focusing latices and molecular movement sensors, can detect cloaked or hidden enemies with ease, making the Observer an invaluable auxiliary unit on the battlefield.In fact observors are what the Protoss use to detect tiny microscopic zerg spores in terrans, to prevent infestation. However, the sensor array also depletes the Observer’s overall energy, which weakens the unit’s defensive capabilities. To compensate for their lack of armor power, Observers are equipped with a micro-cloaking field to hide them from the enemy. The drone’s small sensor signature allows it to maintain this field over long periods with very little drain on its power core. The observer is easy to manufacture and transmits data real time back to the Protoss command. Recently, increasing numbers of these drones have been equipped with Gravitic boosters, allowing it to move quickly in and out of danger zones, outrunning pursuit in the process. Loadout:

Armament: None Defense: Very weak Plasma shield and armor. Observers have a micro-cloaking field that renders them invisible to anything not equipped with advanced detection systems. The Observer’s hull is fashioned out of a buoyant material that refracts light and masks its diminutive energy signature, greatly enhancing its stealth capabilities. Acknowledging a key Observor weakness the Protoss have equipped it with Gravitic Boosters, allowing it to move much faster then before.

Probes:

Armor Type: Psionic Shielding (light), very light vehicle plating Type of Support: logistical

Classification: Worker Role: Base Establishment, resource gathering Used by :All

Originally designed by the Khalai caste to lay the foundation for Protoss settlements, Probes are robotic drones that service the Nexus and gather the numerous resources needed to power Protoss technologies. They are light, fast eand easy to mass produce. Often Probes are used as rudimentary spies, sent ahead to survey the potential locations of enemy encampments. However the most important role of the probe is in regards to base establishment. Probes are at the forefront of Protoss colonization and military efforts. After locking dimensional coordinates, these small robotic constructs manufacture and set micro-beacons that anchor the teleport matrices of all necessary infrastructure. This process enables the Protoss to quickly settle in new worlds—or establish Nexus points to strike at their enemies—with nothing more than a handful of Probes.This doesn’t take long either, with the official Legacy of the Void trailer showing a pylon teleported in minutes. OFFENSIVE: The Particle beam, which is ordinarily used for mining, can also be boosted as a last resort kinetic attack if need be. Defense: Psionic Shielding (light), very light vehicle plating. Might survive a couple errant shots but don’t expect much in durability.

====DEFENSE===== Name of Defense: Photon Cannon

Utilized by :All Type: Anti-ground/air The photon cannon is an automated defense structure of protoss design and by far their most common defense. Although the protoss revel in the glory of personal combat, they also recognize the need for automated defenses. As such, the cannon fires an encapsulated antimatter sphere similar to that generated by the dragoon, though much more powerful. It can attack both land and air units. They are enhanced with special sensor technology borrowed from the observer, and thus can detect cloaked units and allow anything nearby to detect them. Photon cannons require a link to the psionic matrix generated by pylons. For defense it has the standard plasma shield (much more powerful than the unit version) and plating. Variant: The Super Nexus

In Legacy of the Void Artanis can utilize an upgrade that turns all Nexi into super photon cannons. As massive structures they can be considered more durable, damaging and shielded far more than a regular photon. Also they operate independently of the psionic network. Name of Defense: Shield Battery

Utilized by :Auir, Taldarim, Purifier Type: Shield recharge station The shield battery is a protoss support structure. Its core contains a khaydarin crystal that absorbs and stores local psionic energy. The stored psi is transferred to protoss units via the energy spokes, allowing plasma shields to be recharged rapidly. While the battery has a limited energy capacity, it will steadily recharge itself over time. This allows for units and even buildings in Protoss bases to almost instantly have their shields recharged so long as the Shield Battery has a working battery. Due to the Protoss ability to build bases almost right next to the front lines, these could be used to soldiers retreating breifly from the front. Name of Defense: Dark Pylon: As circumstances grow increasingly dire for the protoss, the dark pylon has entered general use for the protoss alongside the regular pylon. This is a variant capable of cloaking all units and structures in its immediate vicinity. It was later upgraded with the ability to recall Protoss forces to it, for either offensive or defensive means.

Khaydarin monolith

Utilized by :Nerazim The Khaydarin Monolith is a exceptionally long ranged Nerazim Defensive structure, capable of firing at the same range as a Terran Seige Tank , Zerg Guardians or Collossi. They fire massively powerful beams of energy well suited to taking down strong, powerful singular foes but with a long reload time, in contrast with the photon cannon having weaker blows but with faster shooting time.

Particle & Plasma Cannons (Rare)

Lore wise for the heaviest, most defender Protoss settlements the Daelam might construct Particle Cannons, great turrets capable of shooting down aircraft, even Protoss aircraft, with ease. These turrets

seem exclusive to the Tal’darim, however. The Auir Protoss do have large, immense plasma cannons to defend against orbital foes, seen prominently in the Glacius campaign. In addition to this Mothership cores can turn pylons into emergency photon cannons. These are formidable defenses. But there is one more factor that makes Protoss defense borderline overpowering, even when used offensively. KARAX

One of the greatest phase-smiths ever to exist, Karax is to be given credit for improving most units seen above . This tendency towards improvement has only skyrocketed to near unbelievable levels in terms of defense. First of all by working on targeting enhancement he range of all photon cannons, shield batteries and monoliths has been boosted by hundreds of meters, which in the case of the latter is significant as it can now safely outrange almost all artillery units in game (perhaps even the Tempest!). At the same time he has improved ordinance to boost the attack speed of monoliths and photon cannons by 25%...which can be further boosted to almost unbelievable speed if he has any energizers around, given that he often comes to battle with Purifier units. The shield battery has received some additional modifications. It has gained the ability, in addition to regenerating shields, to create a low-cost temporary absorption barrier that can absorb a incredible deal of damage (more than most units in game can easily put out) before going out. This is in addition to normal shielding, armor etc. He has also upgraded their energy recharging capabilities by 200%, boosting its ability to heal allied shielding and place absorption barriers.

But the most incredible result of Karax’s research has to do not with defensive buffs, but the speed at which they are put up. Even though building creation is already pretty short in lore (the official SC trailer has a pylon warped in within 90 seconds) Karax has improved this further. Now those forces under his command (or those benefitting from his research upgrades) can now warp in all pylons, photon cannons, khaydarian monoliths and shield batteries instantaneously. A seemingly undefended base can gain a massive amount of defensive in seconds. An enemy assaulting one of Karax’s bases may find that the base’s defenses grows more rapidly than they can be put down …and that any pylon taken down in the attempt to disrupt the psionic network is instantly replaced. Forward bases can be established with lightning speed under Karax as the Protoss offensive moves up. Though not used in lore yet the hypothetical tactic of rushing defensive structures to be used in an offensive push directly (aka ‘photon rushing’) is, in fact, viable under Karax’s upgrades.

===HEROES AND LEADERSHIP=== *Notes on Protoss Leadership: The Protoss leadership is ruled by a loose council, one in which all top members have immense authority but where there is one acknowledged leader. Vorazun, Alarak, & Talendar all are acknowledged as rulers of their individual factions however, for the most part, the leader of the Khalai and Hierarch Artanis has the most authority. The others have been seen acceding to his requests before. Even Alarak. Admiral Urun

Height: 2.7 m

Weight: Unknown Age: Unknown but likely in centuries Training: 9 Classification: Tactical Commander

"Your timing is impeccable, Admiral Urun! When the enemy takes to the air, we will need your support." - Zeratul Urun is the leader of the Auriga Tribe and a member of the Hierarchy. He wishes to retake Aiur for the glory of the protoss, and is in charge over much of the Protoss fleet. In battle wields a modified phoenix which is stronger than the other variants. Personality wise Admiral Urun will be one of the more aggressive individuals of the Council, believing that Protoss expansion and reclamation are necessary to the survival of the species. He was very passionate in this ideals, and will likely advocate the more aggressive and militant approaches for these battles. With good reason, for he leads the Golden Armada, the most powerful fleet in the Korpulu Sector.

Loadout Ranged: (See Phoenix profile – much stronger variant) Melee : None Defense: (see Phoenix profile – much stronger variant) Special: (see Phoenix profile- Graviton Beam)

ROHANA

Rohana is a grand preserver. In her previous life she has had access to all the memories, experiences and feelings of the most notable Protoss prior to her stasis internment and unlike regular preservers can absorb thousands of memories at once. It was through her advice that the Protoss built the mighty arkships, a last resort to provide for the Protoss in case the unthinkable occurred. Though the Protoss initially wanted to build more she and her two sisters advised against it, rationalizing that the Protoss would misuse the devices if there were too many. “"We have their memories. There will be much to learn from them." Rohana hesitated. They would have to relive those deaths repeatedly. Yet that was their duty. She would not flinch away from it. "This tragedy was born not of malice nor stupidity, but of circumstance. This is our new charge, Sisters. We will tell the empire how to prevent this from happening again." "The flaw in the motherships will be fixed. We are not needed for that," Shantira said. "No, we are not. Not for that," Rohana said. Orlana blinked. She understood Rohana's intent. "A hidden flaw brought down something mighty. You want to find a solution to all hidden flaws." "It may not be a pair of vessels that falls next to an unanticipated disaster," Rohana said. "Today we lost explorers. Next time we may lose an entire colony. Or a warfaring fleet. Imagine what could unfold. Even Aiur itself might perish."

"That will never happen," Orlana said. "But you see my ambition." Shantira was beginning to understand, though she still hesitated. "It is impossible to account for every potential disaster," she said cautiously. "All progress causes mistakes. Sometimes lives are lost. It is regrettable but expected. If we stifle innovation out of fear of what might happen, we might foment stagnation." "I do not suggest that we can prevent every death. I say that every death is a lesson. Not just today's deaths. All of them. We have the memories from each Firstborn who has lived since the Aeon of Strife ended," Rohana said. "We will find patterns. We will find blind spots, in those past lives and in our own. We will regard the future with open eyes; we will see what makes our empire vulnerable, and we will correct it." Her sisters' hesitation vanished. New emotions rose. Complex ones, shot through with resolve. They all throbbed with the agony of the day's tragedy. Such pain could not simply be endured. It propelled them to action. "We will," Orlana said. Shantira went still. "To treat random chance as the enemy. That has never been done. Not in all of our history." Her mood shifted, becoming grimly pleased. "What a legacy we will leave if we defeat it, yes?"IT will end in Fire Rohana was awakened in 2506 by Hierarch Artanis, after the awakening of Amon and the corruption of the Khala. Though she was distraught to discover her sisters were killed when the two other arkships were destroyed in the zerg invasion, she carried on. Rohana refused to have her nerve chords severed, and instead opted to remain connected and fight back Amon's influence. She wished to serve as a councilor to Artanis, and call on the memories of their people in order to better advise him.

During the end war, she initially expressed disdain towards the new ways, and openly voiced her dislike of the Nerazim and new purifiers. She was possessed multiple times by Amon, used to taunt Artanis or Vorazun. However gradually the clear progress of Protoss society caused a shift in her thinking and she became more respectful of Artanis’s choices Before the final assault on Aiur, Rohana saw into the mind of Amon. She saw that the war between Amon and the other xel'naga, and how he unleashed the zerg swarm on his kin. He also saw his defeat, and that he sought not only to destroy the creations of the xel'naga, but to make them suffer. Artanis stated that her link the the Khala had proved invaluable, but that she had to finally sever it. Forming a psi-blade, she finally severed herself from the Khala, freeing herself from Amon's ability to control her.

During the second invasion of Aiur, Rohana coordinated Artanis's executors as they destroyed the psionic matrix. During the defense of the Keystone to extract Amon from the Khala, she commanded the Spear of Adun. However, she was attacked by the Golden Armada, and the arkship was picked apart, leaving the ship damaged and unable to aid Artanis. She and the ship managed to survive the conflict, and Aiur was reclaimed for the Daelaam, and prideful of what the Protoss are becoming. LOADOUT Offensive: Psi-blade Defensive: Psionic Shield Role: Advisor Rohana is not combat oriented. She has spent the entirety of her life studying Protoss history, society, psychology and means to improve upon all. More than that, as revealed in dialogue, she has absorbed much knowledge even in her brief exit out of stasis and knows firsthand of basically every Khala Protoss event prior to Amon’s corruption.She can serve as a means to contrast Artanis’s decisions with the greatest of commanders of old or bring forth knowledge of the past so that the Protoss aren’t doomed to repeat it . Rohana can help coordinate his various generals and give all means of advice. .

EXECUTOR SELENDIS

Height: 3m Weight: unknown

Age: Unknown Training: 7.5 Type of Hero Bonus: Commander, Inspired Leader Classification: Strategic Commander “ Selendis represents the best and brightest of what the Protoss can be--fiercely loyal to her race's ideals, completely dedicated and focused beyond any mere human capacity." Selendis was a student of Artanis. In the reorganization following the Great War she was promoted to executor, acting as Artanis' assistant and commanding the combined military forces of the protoss. Selendis has led charges before as a zealot, however she also has a personnel carrier. Selendis is Artanis's second in command, and the probably the player character of the Protoss Brood War campaign. Emerging from the sacrifice of Tassadar she helped ensure Protoss refugees could flee the planet to Shakuras, where the Nerazim offered them sanctuary. It was she that helped defend the new planet after millions of Zerg poured throught he protal, and she was the one who assaulted both the Dominion to reclaim a powerful crystal, and then the United Earth Directorate when they tried to force the Protoss to surrender. Together under a rare alliance with Kerrigan she and Artanis and Zeratul assaulted Char, weakening the new Overmind long enough to make off with the second crystal. It shocked the Protoss that, upon returning to Shakuras, a revolt had broken out among the Khalai led by judicator Aldaris. Initially, it appeared this revolt was solely made against the Nerazim . Working together both the Nerazim and loyal Khalai broke the revolt however Aldaris was killed by Kerrigan before he could explain the real reasoning behind his actions. However though saddened the Protoss continued on with the previous task, and with the power of the Xel’naga crystals Shakuras was purged of Zerg, for a time. She also assisted in foiling the plots of the Nerazim traitor, Ulzeraj. Over the course of a small campaign she dealt with a mixed alliance of Terran, Zerg and renegade Nerazim, whittling them down one by one. With Zeratul commiting his forces in a diversionary attack, Selendis led a strike force that sabotaged crystals controlling the Zerg, pacifying them. Next she fought a duel Terran and Nerazim force above Shakuras, equipped with a massive EMP device capable of sending out a potent pulse that would down all shields and abilities….every ten minutes. Despite the fact the enemy Protoss were immune to this, she nevertheless managed to prevail. Later she would aid the Protoss preserver Zamara and her terran friends to pacify Ulzeraj for good. “She met them halfway, leaping from the courtyard into the fray. Ethan could appreciate good fighting, and he knew what he was seeing was magnificent. Glowing blue blades erupted from Selendis‘s wrists and she whirled and almost danced as she fought. Her bright armor glinted in the merciless sunlight, the glare bright enough to make Ethan wince and probably harsh enough to be a weapon on its own at close range. Selendis dispatched two zerglings almost instantly, then turned on a third. The hydralisks fired a volley of spikes. Selendis cocked her head, as if listening, then leaped and flipped in midair. Her blades

moved so swiftly they were a blur, and Ethan realized that she‘d been fast enough to simply not be there when the spines reached her, and had sliced to pieces those she couldn‘t elude.” In Starcraft 2 she was ordered by the Daelam to purge the tainted Terran World of Haven from its zerg infestation, though the colonists- claiming a cure would soon be found- called upon James Raynor for defense. Selendis was defeated after a difficult battle though her respect for Raynor was enough she held him no ill will and did not come back to take revenge. In Legacy of the Void she spearheaded the invasion of Auir alongside Artanis but was corrupted when the Khala was taken over. Forced to fight under Amon’s will she led the Golden Armada against the Terran Dominion in a overwhelming attack that the Terrans could not properly defend against. Her assault against them was only called off when the remaining uncorrupted Protoss invaded Auir and destroyed Amon’s host form. She- along with the Golden Armada- was forced to assault the Daelam, who held off their force until the Xel’Naga artifact freed them of Amon’s possession Later she would help Artanis assault Amon in the void and end the final Xel’naga. Loadout

Psi Blades Selendis is an exceptionally good combatent, able to kill several dozen Zerglings all rushing at her at once without breaking a sweat or suffering wounds. Defense: Plasma shields, zealot armor- Zealot form She can also come aboard her own modified, exceptionally powerful carrier.

X-FACTORS: ADAPTIVE CREATIVITY:57/100: Though capable of adapting on occasion, Selendis is more strict and conforming to standard Protoss military doctrine than many other Protoss leaders here. TACTICS:76/100: The majority of the battles Selendis has fought she has won, against all races of the sector. Sometimes these include battles where the enemy deploys a unseen advantage like with EMP mass generators or mind control. She is skilled at both standard battles and strike forces. STRATEGY: 62/100: Though strategy is more of Artanis’s field she is noted at being skilled at it. INTUITION: 68/100 AUDACITY: 77/100: She can and will retreat if necessary but other than that is a very bold fighter and commander. PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: 53/100 EXPERIENCE: 80/100: Likely a couple hundred years training and has fought in the Korpulu sector’s major wars (all of them). DISCIPLINE: 85/100: Selendis is noted by Blizzard to being disciplined and focused to a inhuman degree . In the Dark Tempalr series she is shown to remaing relatively calm throughout the series, abstaining from panic when outnumbered and prevents her allies from engaging in revenge killing. Even in loss she treated Raynor with perfect calm. INSPIRATION: 65/100: Selenids is well respected among those who know her. Corruption: 50/100: Additional Factors:

- Personality: Unfortunately not too much is known about Selendis the individual. What has been shown is that she is extremely disciplined, able to keep a cool head in nearly all situations, even when heavily outnumbered by the Zerg and surrounded on all sides, without the ability to call for reinforcements. She was exceptionally clever in this situation, manipulating the Protoss leaders to allow her there in the first place and then manipulating the Zerg leader (not Kerrigan) in a successful ploy to stall for time. Selendis believes in honor whenever possible, not upset at all when the honorable James Raynor beat her in battle, and successfully preventing a Terran mercenary from giving into vengeance. This also shows her compassion, for she championed that Terran's cause when no one else would. Finally she is very ambitious and longs for Protoss expansion once more, as the quotation in her hero profile shows.

TALANDAR (FENIX)

Height: Taller than Protoss, Immortal size? Weight: N.A. Age: 6 (Personality and memories hundreds of years old) Training: 8 Type of Hero Bonus: Destruction, morale Role: Tactical Commander/Warrior

Some time prior to his initial defeat during the zerg invasion of Aiur, Fenix was sent to Glacius by Aldaris, where a secret Conclave research facility was researching the Purifiers. Fenix's brain was scanned into a prototype Purifier unit, though he was led to believe it was for the dragoon program. The Conclave intended to study the unit and observe it to judge if the ancient Purifier program could be revived. The destruction of Aiur by the zerg and the fall of the Conclave resulted in the research being abandoned, however, and the robot was left on Glacius in stasis. In 2506 during the End War, Hierarch Artanis came to Glacius to find the Purifier research, hoping to use the technology against Amon, and the phase-smith Karax found and activated the Fenix Purifier. As this Fenix remembered, he had been sent to the Glacius facility to be made into a dragoon, and then put into stasis before being awoken. Convinced he was actually Fenix, the robot treated Artanis as a dear friend, and while Artanis questioned how much like Fenix the robot actually was, he could not bring himself to reveal the truth. When Fenix commented on Tassadar, however, Artanis told him Tassadar had fallen in battle, and that Aiur had fallen to the zerg. Confused and concerned by how long he had been in stasis, the robot questioned this and was told to read the ship's archives for more information. Over time, "Fenix" realized there were many inconsistencies in his memory. After being called a "lie incarnate" by Alarak, he desired to learn the truth. Artanis allowed Fenix access to the archives, and the

robot learned of Fenix being killed at Antioch, revived as a dragoon, and then being killed by Sarah Kerrigan on Korhal. The robot realized he was only a clone of the real Fenix, and took the revelation heavily. Despite this, Artanis continued to be supportive of the Purifier, saying he was just as brave as the original Fenix. When Artanis resolved to go to the forest moon of Endion and awaken the Purifiers, Fenix supported the decision and offered his aid in helping sway the Purifiers to their cause. Though Artanis's other allies were skeptical, Fenix told them that they saw him as a Templar warrior with his own mind, not merely a robot, and that he could convince the other Purifiers they would not be treated as slaves. Together, the two were able to reactivate the Purifiers, who agreed to aid them against Amon so long as the unit known as Fenix would speak for them, having been impressed with his leadership. Having accepted the truth of his identity, the Purifier finally rejected the name Fenix; it belonged to another, and he wished to choose his own name: Talandar (Khalani for "one who bears a strong heart"). Artanis believed it a fitting name and agreed to call him that from now on. During the second reclamation of Aiur, Talandar was sent alongside Karax to destroy one of the three Psi-Matrices that powered Aiur, succeeding in doing so together. Later, he and his Purifier brethren took part in the battle to destroy Amon's Hybrid host form, leaving the fallen Xel'naga with only the Khala to indwell Offensive: Talendar is a melee powerhouse, armed with two purifier blades and at speeds faster than a zealot. He also has the zealot’s charge mode (but improved) and Solarite Reaper whirlwind ability. He carries all the memories and skills of the greatest warrior the Protoss ever created.

Defensive: Talendar is extremely durable, far more than a immortal. In addition he has a backup and rechargeable shield capacitor that, when activated, fully restores his shield. In game this guy is so durable that even on brutal difficulty against mobs of possessed protoss (including reavers, immortals ect) he will still hold his own.

KARAX

Age: Hundreds of Years Height: 2.6m Weight: Unknown Training: 5 Type of Hero Bonus: Technological, commander, bonus to structures Role: Tactical Commander Karax first appeared in Legacy of the Void helping Zeratul shortly before the corruption of th Khala. Sometimes after he was freed by the Nerazim and sought out by Artanis’s resistance, for he was the only remaining phase-smith with the ability to bring the ancient arkship of The Spear of Adun online. Though it was a difficult effort ultimately karax succeeded, and warped those that remained free of Amon’s influence away before leaving. He supported the reactivation of the Purifier program, arguing to a skeptical Artanis that both Protoss and Purifiers are machines, forged by their makers and possessing of the same rights. It was Karax who managed to fully unlock the Xel’naga artifact, allowing the Protoss access to a space station between universe’s: Ulnar. LaterArtanis assaulted the Moebius corps research facility in the asteroid field of Ravensnor . It was Karax’s intelligence combined with Vorazun’s Dark Templar scouts that had located the facility, however the Terrans within were prepared. They launched a massive surprise attack on the Spear of Adun forcing the hierarch to defend his vessel. However at the same time Artanis deduced that Moebius would not

be expecting a counterattack at this time and thus gave command to the one individual he felt was guaranteed to succeed: Karax. The choice was an interesting one. Karax was a Khalai caste member, a caste that had nothing to do with war and all to do with research. Nevertheless Karax felt duty bound to accept. Taking with him a small carrier force Karax led an assault to the heavily defended Terran enclave of Ravensnor. It was his plan to disable the majority of the stabilizers for the asteroid platforms thus allowing him to bring the platforms down directly on the main base. Using his hacking knowledge Karax seized control of a mobile Terran platform to move his ground army between platforms as he supported these with his capital ship contingent. Simultaneously his strike forces targeted the hybrid breeding chambers where Amon developed the most powerful units of his armies. Despite heavily outnumbered and outgunned, with little resources available to him to build up his armies, Karax achieved total victory in all things. A massive blow was struck against Amon that day for he lost both his terran army and the ability to create more of his greatest units. So pronounced was the victory that Artanis had the momentum to declare the end of the caste system, for a mere Khalai had achieved what great Templar would have struggled to do .

At the same time Karax continuously improved the keystone, despite being lightyears ahead of Protoss technology, and slowly unlocked its secrets. Despite the device not intended as a prison Karax modified it to do so.

When the time came to assault Auir Karax led a strike force to destroy a psionic matrix crystal. Though initially he had only himself and Fenix through guerilla tactics and his own ingenuity he quickly amassed an army by hacking into corrupted Protoss machines and battlesuits (the pilots weren’t freed but he could take control of the system and ‘lock them out’ regardless). With this army he smashed into the hybrid fortified section and destroyed the psionic matrix crystal. In the final battle against Amon, Karax led the purifiers in defending the south-east entrance to the grounds where the Keystone had been erected. Offensive: Karax is escorted by a pair of servitor drones that shoot energy blasts. He also has the ability to place a portable photon cannon nearby and has the energizer move ‘reclaimation’ though unlike the sentry which only lasts a couple of minutes his is permament. Defensive: He counts as a walking power field (a walking pylon) and fellow Protoss can warp in around him. Furthermore his aura boosts attack speed of structures by 100% and production facilities by 900% X-FACTORS: Note: This represents a mergence of Talendar and Karax’s x-factors as though Talendar officially leads the Purifiers he is often seen together with Karax who more often than not leads the Purifier armies into battle. Adaptive Creativity: 81/100: One of the most creativite of Protoss, not only is Karax understood to be responsible for much of the advanced technological changes the Protoss have experienced but he has also been shown to rapidly adapt his tactics in unorthodox ways in the battles he is shown in. A very creative character. Tactics: 69/100: He is still relatively inexperienced but those battles he has won have been won brilliantly, against odds that completely favored the enemy. Rather than amass and overwhelm he and the purifiers move with surgical precision. Strategy: 63/100: Limited only by experience, but that shown has been extremely promising. It is probable Karax can become much better here, aided by the natural deadly effieincy of the Purifiers Intuition: 70/100: Audacity: 74 (83)/100: Karax has been shown to show a degree of caution however is still willing to fully commit his troops up to and including himself if necessary. Talendar however is far more willing to fight and do so on the front, courtesy of his personality. Psychological Warfare: 56/100: Leave this to Alarak. Experience: 49/100 (85/100:) ) : While Karax is likely hundreds of years old he has only recently turned into a Templar. Talendar, though only a couple of years old, has inhereited the hundreds of years of memories of one of the greatest Protoss warriors that ever lived. This includes memories of working with other great Protoss commanders, like Artanis and Tassadar.

Diiscipline: 80/100: Khalai are taught an extreme control of their emotions that allows even those doomed with no possibility of survival to face it rationally. Karax is no exception and he reacted to his unexpected appointment as commander with surgical precision. Inspiration: 64/100 (78/100): Karax has earned respect throughout the Daelam for his deeds both on and off the field. Talendar however has the personality of the greatest Protoss warrior that ever lived and was quickly put in command of the Purifiers. Corruption: 42/100:

VORAZUN

Age: Hundreds of Years Height: 2.6m Weight: Unknown Training: 5 Type of Hero Bonus: Command, Stealth Role: Tactical Commander Vorazun was the daughter of Raszagal, and was born and raised on Shakuras. When the zerg followed the Khalai to Shakuras, Vorazun personally took part in the defense of her homeworld. She took the skull of a hydralisk she slew as a trophy of her time in combat, which she would wear on her shoulder. When Prelate Zeratul killed her mother after the matriarch was mind controlled by Kerrigan(a mercy killing) , Vorazun vowed to hate both of them, even though in the former case she admitted it was based on emotion rather than reason. As the launch of the Golden Armada to reclaim Aiur neared, Vorazun stood in staunch opposition to the Daelaam and the erosion of Nerazim culture. She stood for an ideal that actions and not words should

be what keep the Nerazim whole, an ideal she imparted on her pupil Taelus. When the Daelaam wished to mine the Naszar, a mineral rich mountain range important to Nerazim culture, Vorazun managed to convince the Hierarchy to block the proposal. She often vocally disagreed with the decisions of Mohandar, the Nerazim representative in the hierarchy, though she still respected him. However, she still sought peace among the two people. When her student Taelus captured the Citadel with a handful of insurgents, Vorazun personally sought to find a diplomatic solution that would prevent bloodshed. She and Mohandar entered the Citadel, but Taelus was set on fighting the Aiur protoss to provoke violence between the two people, which would lead to the Aiur protoss being expelled from Shakuras. Not willing to see this come to pass, Vorazun and Mohandar fought the insurgents. Initially the two employed non-lethal tactics, but Taelus impaled Mohandar through the chest, killing him. Vorazun engaged him in single combat, and eventually killed her former student with a slash to the torso. Vorazun carried Mohandar's corpse out of the Citadel, and told the crowd that it was the Nerazim that slew him, and that they should not fear the new Daelaam future. She saw that Taelus was buried alongside Mohandar, as a sign of respect. Artanis attended this funeral, and said he would personally carry the rite of passing for Mohandar. Vorazun said she would commit Nerazim forces to the Golden Armada, but that she and a cadre of forces would have to stay behind on Shakuras. Artanis stated he would support Vorazun's ascension to Matriarch. During a training exercise, a squadron of phoenixes collided with a Nerazim transport, killing twentyseven Nerazim. Seemingly Artanis did not attend the funeral of the twenty-seven in favor of making more preparations for the Golden Armada (unknown to her at the time he was trying to placate the Khalai side, for two phoenix pilots were killed in the accident). Vorazun was angered by this, and vocally fought with Mohandar over the accident. She decided that she would vocally speak out against the Golden Armada, and support the Nerazim's withdraw from the reclamation of Aiur In Legacy of the Void the Protoss were caught off-guard. The Warp Gates to Auir were reopnened and left open in anticipation of a glorious victory. Alas Amon’s sudden corruption saw the invasion undone, and before the gates could be shut down Amon poured hybrid and zerg through the portals. Loss of life was extensive and Vorazun was forced to fight a running battle against the invaders. Then Artanis returned.

With Artanis’ help, Vorazun cleared the warp launch bays through stealth and assassination of the titantic hybrid artillery unit known as the Void Thrasher. This allowed here to evacuate the remnant of her people however she was not satisfied. She vowed that the forces of Amon would not live long to befoul Shakuras with their presence. Rather if the Nerazim could not have it, then Amon wouldn’t either. Her plan to blow up the world of Shakuras came as a surprise to Artanis, who initially forbid it . Vorazun pointed out that she would pursue it regardless and that this way Amon could be dealt a major blow in the loss of so many hybrid and Zerg. Reluctantly at first Artanis agreed to her wisdom. Later Vorazun reluctantly made common cause with Alarik to save Artanis’ life and provided the hierarch with advanced recon, keeping track of the Golden Armada as it was forced headlong to destroy the Terran Dominion and successfully located the hidden Moebius Corps main base, which also served as a hybrid breeding center. In the invasion of Auir she joined again with Alarak, using her stealth abilities in combination with his psionic might to fight through a zerg infestation and destroy a psionic matrix crystal. Between the two of them hundreds of zerg were slain. During the attack on Amon's host body, Vorazun landed a beachhead at one of the warp in zones, allowing her to commit forces against Amon's minions. In the final battle to defend the Keystone and expel Amon from the Khala, Vorazun and her Nerazim personally defended the western route. After a brutal battle, the combined might of the Daelaam held against Amon even as he sent the Golden Armada against them. Amon was expelled from the Khala. Offensive: Shadow-strike. See Nerazim but longer and more potent.Is armed with her own specialized warp-scythe.

She can also call in a cadre of elite Shadow-Guard (elite Nerazim) as bodyguards. Defensive: Protoss body armor (light) and psionic shielding . She is also permanently cloaked, her shield recharges out of combat faster and can teleport. ===X-FACTORS=== Adaptive Creativity: 70/100: The Nerazim pride themselves on being more individual and creative thinkers than the formerly rigid Khalai Protoss.The Nerazim specialize in stealth and sabotage, with Vorazun’s Coop command style showcasing this. Tactics: 62/100 Strategy: 68/100: Vorazun and the Nerazim are going to be a force that specializes in dealing the maximum amount of damage with the minimum amount of loss, courtesy of their combat doctrine. Vorazun makes heavy use of units designed to deny enemy defenses, whittle away at their forces or even subvert them entirely. Intuition: 65/100: Audacity: 70/100: Nerazim are more individualistic and generally seem less likely t throw themselves into battle than other Protoss. However, in desperate times even these Dark Ones will willingly sacrifice their lives and Vorazun has been known to take the field herself in the most terrible of occasions. She will blow her own home world up if necessary after luring as many enemies as possible to it. Psychological Warfare: 63/100: Discipline: 73/100: Like most Protoss she is incredibly disciplined however she has shown stress in the event of overwhelming numbers arrayed against her. It was doubtful this would have made her completely demoralized though. Experience: 55/100: Relatively young and has only a couple years of experience of known combat fighting. Inspiration: 63/100: Vorazun is clearly respected amoung her people both for own achievements and that of her mother, however disagreements, even occasional unrest is shown against her behind closed doors. Corruption: 50/100

ALARAK

Training: 8 Mobility:7 Height: 3m? Weight: Unknown Max Range: Several hundred meters Preferred Range: Melee Alarak was born on Slayn, and like his kindred, was devoted to Amon. Unlike many of his kin however, he did not carve Amon's words into his body, even as a votary. In his mind, there were other ways of demonstrating zeal for Amon's teachings. Nonetheless, he remembered Amon's creed. From an early age demonstrated his extreme cunning and brutality. Alarak quickly rose through the ranks of the Tal'darim by convincing many ascendants (beings who could kill him legally without reprecusion) who were higher in the Chain of Ascension to enter Rak'Shir,the ritual duel, only to realize too late that he had set them up for a fall. Those with similar skills in manipulation, he made sure came an unfortunate event. In one Rak'Shir, Alarak organized a battle in which 800 Tal'darim died. In another he orchestrated an event that saw an entire wing of the Tal’darim’s best leaders dead and the fleet crippled for months. He kept his involvement hidden, and rapidly ascended the chain, becoming an ascendant.

When he had risen to the position of fourth ascendent, with only Zenish, Guraj, Nuroka and Highlord Ma’lash ahead of him (in that order), Nuroka came to Alarak with some unexpected information. According to him their god, Amon, did not want to uplift the Tal’darim at all but really wanted to use them as fodder for his wars! Nuroka revealed he planned to rebel against Ma’lash, raise up Alarak to his second in command (for his cunning was now well-renowned) and kill Amon. On instinct, Alarak activated his psi-blades and attacked Nuroka, only for his superior to telekinetically send him hurtling. By attacking a superior outside of Rak'Shir, Alarak knew that he had doomed himself to a gruesome public execution. Nuroka used this as leverage to force Alarak to agree to his plan. He would challenge Ma'lash. Alarak would aid and take the place of First Ascendant. He would likewise sway Guraj or Zenish to join their cause. He left the conversation with the threat that if Alarak abstained from combat, he would meet a slow and painful death at the hands of the new highlord/ Now forced to personally participate himself, Alarak ordered his immediate subordinate not to follow him, thus ensuring no lower rank could join in the by ancient rules of the ritual.As dawn came, Rak'Shir loomed. Ma'lash, Nuroka, Guraj, Zenish, and Alarak entered the Pits of Ascension as thousands of Tal'darim watched on. He did not declare his allegiance to either of the main combatants, much to the puzzlement of those around him (or, in Nuroka's case, fury). Alarak snidely remarked that he had not betrayed Nuroka. He had made no promises, and he had not spoken with either of them. Alarak argued to Nurkoa that if he had made his pronouncement public then both of his superiors would ally against Nuroka and Alarak. Now that he had decided to stand out both had little to gain from simply both siding with Malash. Both burned with ambition and hated each other, enough to turn them against each other. Thus Alarak watched with satisfaction as Zenish declared for Nuroka, while Guraj declared for Ma'lash. Alarak remained in place as the fight began. It wasn't long before Zenish fell, leaving Nuroka without an ally. Now, Ma'lash could easily drive Nuroka back. Suddenly, Alarak dove into the fray, much to the astonishment of Ji'nara and the other spectators. Activating his psi-blades, he attacked Guraj, much to Nuroka's amusement. Alarak had broken no rule— it was customary to declare one's allegiance prior to Rak'Shir, but not compulsory. "Cowardly filth," Guraj said. She knew how this would end. But she didn't yield. It didn't take too long. When her arms began to sag, Alarak slashed through her defenses and carved out her middle in one quick strike. She made no pleas for mercy. She showed no signs of pain. The lights in her eyes and her blades were extinguished in the same moment. Alarak did not celebrate. He simply let her fall where she died. And now it was Highlord Ma'lash who had no ally. Against the combined power of Nuroka and Alarak, he could do nothing.

Nuroka hammered the Highlord with blunt volleys of energy, forcing the Tal'darim's leader toward his doom. "You knew, yes?" Nuroka seethed. "You knew of Amon's treachery. You knew He means for us to die." Ma'lash did not respond. He raised barriers of energy against Nuroka. They were smashed to pieces almost before they were formed. Step by step, he was forced toward the eastern pit. The dueling grounds were massive. It took nearly half an hour before the Highlord finally reached the pit's edge. Alarak kept pace with Nuroka and Ma'lash the entire way, eyes always watching the onlookers, waiting to see if anyone would follow his example and join the fight without warning. He kept a special eye on Ji'nara. She was sitting down. "Alarak, you traitor," growled Highlord Ma'lash. "You do not know what Nuroka plans for us. He will betray Amon." Ma'lash planted his feet at the edge of the eastern pit, his death yawning open behind him. "Amon betrayed us first!" Nuroka raged. He began summoning power for his final blow. "Under my rule," he gloated, "we will be free of Amon. We will stand against Him. We—" Alarak hadn't said a word since entering the fight. That was a deliberate choice. Now he made another one. "I declare for Ma'lash," he said, and he withdrew his power from Nuroka.

Alarak opened up his psionic energy to Ma'lash, and allowed the highlord to use it to send Nuroka back. Nuroka cursed Alarak's betrayal, but as he pointed out, he had betrayed no-one. He had never declared his allegiance in the duel up to this point. But now, he was bound to Ma'lash for the duel's remainder. Nuroka protested that Ma'lash would lead them to ruin, and for the first time, Alarak felt genuine doubt gnaw away at his faith. But he quashed it. And, as the sun set, Ma'lash seized victory, throwing Nuroka's body out of the dueling grounds. Rak'Shir was over. In the aftermath of the duel, Ma'lash and Alarak (now with the rank of First Ascendant) traded words. Ma'lash threatened to have him killed, but it was an idle threat, and Alarak knew it. The Tal'darim could not afford to lose more ascendants at this point. And yet, Ma'lash pressed on, asking Alarak if he sought to lead the Tal'darim. Alarak stated that he didn't, but could tell that Ma'lash didn't believe him. He probed further, and Alarak affirmed that Nuroka's words had not shaken his faith. Ma'lash made one last promise before he departed—if he turned on him, Alarak's fate would be even worse than Nuroka's. If he served him faithfully, he would be well rewarded on the Day of Ascension. Alarak, however, was willing to bide his time. And would seek the right champions before making his move In the opening stages of the End War Alarik was charged with the destruction of the Glacius facility and there fought Artanis, who sought to save it. Though the Tal’darim fleet held dominance and Alarik himself used orbital weapons to wipe out the defenses Artanis moved swift with his ground forces. Even

when Alarik cleverely reactivated the abandoned anti-personnel defenses Artanis still prevailed and stole off the program. Impressed, Alarik declared that they would meet again. And they did. Though no other Protoss character trusted him, it was through Alarik that Artanis was saved from a trap. More he came bearing the hierarch an offer- if the Daelam agreed to help him defeat Highlord Ma’lash in a duel, he would seize control of the Tal’darim and bring the entire force over to Artanis’s side. On Slayn Alarak manipulated Artanis into killing all other ascendents immediately below him, lying to the Hierarch that this was a necessary part of the ritual when, in fact, it was really meant only to secure his power after the rule. Then Alarak finally challenged Ma’lash. They waged a very bitter and difficult psionic duel across the planet each backed by allied armies. With the psionic aid of Artanis’s force in the duel Alarak prevailed, and cast the Highlord into a chasm.

Now leader of the Tal’darim formally, he agreed to an alliance between himself and Artanis for the purpose of destroying Amon. In the invasion of Auir Alarak counseled the most brutal of solutions; orbital bombardment to destroy Amon. This would have the side effect of destroying most of the Protoss corrupted by Amon on the ground but Alarak was willing to do that if it would ensure Amon’s death. He was overruled. Though unhappy Alarak accepted Artanis’s solution. He even personally took part in a mission to destroy a psionic crystal powering the Warp Matrix on Auir. His forces also helped destroy the Void crystals powering Amon’s body, and then he personally led the Tal’darim side of the defense as the Protoss held out while powering their ancient artifact to free their people. After the war was over Alarak declined to join the Daelam formerly, however in a suprising gesture of respect to Artanis gave his Tal’darim- which he ruled like the most authoritative of dictators- one chance to join the Daelam proper.

Offensive: In Combat Alarak is a psionic power house with only Artanis and the Queen of Blades (who is probably the most powerful of the three) now being able to rival him in such power. He can unless a devastating, hundred meter wave of psionic energy against enemies in front of him that hurls back what it does not kill and unless his own deadly version of shadow charge . He is armed with a pair of especially deadly psi-blades. If he has time to charge up his power he can create devastating psionic shockwaves or a concentrated blast capable of shooting through ancient, powerful shielded gates. Defensive: Full-plate Protoss heavy armor and Psionic Shields. Also anything he can kills heals him.

==X-FACTORS== Adaptive Creativity: 78/100: Even when forced into a situation that seems like a lose-lose, Alarak manages to find a way to come out on top and more powerful than ever. His schemes have crippled entire armies and brought him to the top leadership. Tactics: 62/100: He has lost to Artanis but not to anyone else, mostly thanks to his great scheming nature. Strategy:70/100: At a (relatively) young age he schemed his way through the entirre Tal’darim command, became one of the most powerful Protoss psionics and palyed a key role in the death of the hated Amon. Intuition: 69/100 Audacity: 82/100: Though somewhat cautious with himself, Alarak has no qualms sending large amounts of his people to die if it’s for a worthy cause (vengeance or his advancement) Even with himself he is perfectly willing to lead from the front, even take part in missions against hundreds of zerg with only one partner. Psychological Warfare: 77/100: See his entire biography. Deceitful and cunning, Alarak specializes in fostering conflict among rivals Experience: 78/100: His extremely rapid rise to power indicates that he is young but nevertheless young by Protoss cstandards is still a couple centuries. Discipline: 65/100: Though mostly levelheaded, thanks to his Terrazine addiction and arrogance regarding his person he does have some difficulties mantaining full discipline. Inspiration: 83/100: His men may or may not like him, but such is Tal’darim honor that they will lay down their lives at his order. To further illustrate how bound his men are to him it is worth noting that many of them still worship and believe in Amon yet all of them fight for Alarak regardless. To put this into further context the Tal’darim are fighting at the behest of a Protoss they despise and with allies many of them hold into contempt against a god they have been ingrained since birth to worship and who promises them ascension . Corruption: 80/100: He is willing to cause and advocate mass genocide and murder to accomplish his goals. Though he does have some honor that he will abide by, including holding bargains, Alarak will usually manipulate said honor and rules as much as he can. He does have some genuine respect for Artanis though.

HIERACH ARTANIS

Height: N.A. Weight: N.A. Age: 275 Training: 8

Type of Hero Bonus: Morale, Cohesion, Leadership Role: Inspirational Leadership/Strategic Commander "This is Hierarch Artanis, commanding the Shield of Aiur! Our matrix fields are within range! Engaging mass recall! My brethren, hear me, for there is little time left. All that remains of our race, our civilization, are those that stand beside you now. Trust in each other. Strike as one will. Let our last stand burn a memory so bright we will be remembered forever. En taro Tassadar!" - Artanis at the (hypothetical) last battle Little is known about Artanis’s early years only that he was the chief student of Tassadar and fought alongside the great warrior Fenix for a number of years. Artanis was appointed to the position of executor during the zerg invasion of Aiur, following the apparent defection of the previous executor, Tassadar, to the Dark Templar. To this end, he began by fortifying the base at Antioch, once again serving alongside Fenix. Antioch was held against the zerg and a successful counter attack was made. Artanis' actions pleased his superior, Judicator Aldaris, restoring his faith in the Templar Caste. An interruption by Tassadar however, sending his thoughts from the planet Char, was not so pleasing. Regardless, Tassadar spoke of what he had learned from the Dark Templar, how striking down the cerebrates was the key to winning the war against the zerg. Aldaris decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, though Tassadar maintained that he would remain on Char for the time being, returning when the time was right. Putting Tassadar's suggestion into action, Artanis and his forces held the line against the zerg while Fenix moved his own forces into position for an assault on the Baelrog Brood's cerebrate. In this, he was successful, penetrating the hive cluster and striking down the cerebrate. However, after staying behind to observe the brood's actions, Fenix reported that the cerebrate had reincarnated, having seen it with his own eyes, driving its forces forward for the next offensive. Seething at Tassadar's apparent treachery, Aldaris ordered Artanis to reclaim the province of Scion from the Zerg, while Fenix remained behind at Antioch to guard against counterattack. While Artanis was successful in taking back the province, Antioch came under heavy attack in the meantime, Fenix falling in the assault.Still furious at Tassadar, Aldaris sent Artanis to Char to reclaim the wayward Executor. There he only barely managed to save the Protoss commander from an assault by Kerrigan. Though initially distrustful of Tassadar’s alliance with the Nerazim Artanis quickly reaffirmed his faith with his former superior after a mental connection. Upon returning to Aiur, Artanis and company received welcome from Fenix, whose body had been recovered from Antioch and implanted inside a dragoon exoskeleton. The response of the Conclave however, was hostile, surrounding the landing zone with the Vanguard of Aiur and ordering them to stand down and surrender the Dark Templar for execution. Initially, Tassadar was willing to battle against the Vanguard of Aiur, Artanis following suit. However, unable to stomach his people slaughtering

themselves in battle, Tassadar surrendered himself to the Conclave.Artanis protested against Tassadar's decision, but Tassadar stated that it was the only way to end the bloodshed, and give his followers a chance in the wider war. Thus, Tassadar was taken into custody. Artanis and Fenix were left without Tassadar to guide them, and Zeratul and his Dark Templar had disappeared. However, with the aid of the terran Jim Raynor in the Hyperion, they were able to rescue Tassadar before he could be executed. In addition, Zeratul returned to the fold, sharing his knowledge of the zerg, of how they too were created by the xel'naga, how they would run rampant throughout the stars if not stopped here and now. It was a task that Artanis was ready to take on. To clear a path to the Overmind, its defenses had to be thinned. With Artanis in command Fenix proved apt in this, weakening the defenses of the hive cluster, allowing Zeratul to assassinate the cerebrates.. A last, final assault on the Overmind was thus made ready, the Templar Caste and Dark Templar, alongside Raynor's Raiders, pooling together their forces. With the Conclave's blessings, Artanis, Raynor and Tassadar led their forces against the Overmind and its minions. In the end, though the Overmind was weakened, so too were those who assaulted it. In a final act, Tassadar set the Gantrithor on a collision course with the Overmind, hoping to channel enough Void energy through the hull in order to slay the creature. Artanis protested the choice, but Tassadar remained firm. He was willing to follow the path fate had given him. He told Artanis that one day, he would understand.With that, Tassadar guided the Gantrithor on a collision course at the creature, destroying both it and himself in a burst of Dark Templar energy.

As the chaotic, swirling energies subsided, a heavy silence settled over the battlefields of Aiur. Due to Tassadar's sacrifice, the Overmind was now dead and the Zerg Swarms were scattered and broken. However, like those around him, Artanis knew that victory had cost them all but their lives. In Brood War he commanded the evacuation of Auir as the now leaderless Zerg ran rampent, attacking both each other and the Protoss. With Fenix and Raynor holding the rear he brought many millions of his people to Shakuras only to find to his dismay that the Zerg had followed him. Working together with Selendis and Zeratul he sought to reclaim ancient Xel’Naga crystals which would purge the entrenched Zerg comkpletely from the planet. First he together with his executor (Selendis) assaulted the Terran Dominion on Braxis to reclaim the first crystal, taking down the garrison even with sabotage to the psionic network temporarily preventing the summoning of stargates. Then when the United Earth Directorate unexpectedly appeared and blockaded the Protoss in the planet Artanis personally led the breakout of the blockade. Together in reluctant alliance with Kerrigan Artanis and Selendis assaulted Char, where a new Overmind was being formed. Though neither at the time had the means to permanently put it down Artanis suggested that by doing a great amount of damage to it they might be able to paralyze the Zerg for a bit, allowing them to make off with the crystal. It was upon return to Shakuras that Artanis discovered that his old superior Aldaris was leading a revolt against the matriarch Raszagal. After a bitter battle and with the use of Dark Archons the Khalai protoss succeeded in achieving victory. After battle they confronted Aldaris. Artanis tried to persuade Aldaris that Kerrigan had changed, but Aldaris replied that the Matriarch had been manipulated. As Aldaris tried to explain the real reasons behind his revolt, Kerrigan interrupted the conversation by killing Aldaris. Zeratul banished a gloating Kerrigan from Shakuras as a result of her actions. Artanis was disgusted to learn that Kerrigan had been playing them all along and that the protoss had gone along with her game, but had to carry on with the plan to remove the zerg from Shakuras. This he did successfully, purging Shakuras completely for a time. It was later discovered that Kerrigan had in fact mind controlled the matriarch and later blackmailed Zeratul to do her bidding in order to gaurentee her safe return. After a failed rescue attempt by Zeratul resulted in the destruction of a Protoss fleet and the matriarch dead. In wraith Artanis led a second Protoss fleet to destroy Kerrigan, allying with the UED and Terran Dominion to do so. However they underestiamted her cunning and the Swarm’s might. Artanis fled with the remains of his fleet when it became clear victory was impossible and vowed revenge sometime in the future. Artanis took part in the secret mission on Braxis to de-infest Vice admiral Stukov and ended up purifying the planet towards the end of the campaign. The respect the Protoss race had for him was so great that they all but forced him to become Hierarch, the titular leader of the Protoss race, despite Artanis not desiring the position. In the opening events of Legacy of the Void he ordered an all-out invasion of Auir, a final attempt. As hierarch he felt duty bound to launch it and would not be persuaded from the course even with the

sudden arrival of Zeratul bring tidings of doom. His plan was to lead strike forces across key locations of Auir to open the Warp conduits long buried underneath Zerg creep, allowing the Protoss to bring their full might to bear on the supposedly feral zerg. Simultaneously he annihilated what Zerg hives he found to remove as many obstacles to his reconquest as possible. However early on his invasion ran into trouble. The feral Zerg turned out to be far more coordinated than expected and worse their leaders were revealed to be hybrids, that abomination race that Zeratul had warned him of. Recognizing that Auir would just be the beginning he sent Zeratul to recover the Xel’Naga keystone artifact of immense power- from James Raynor while he moped up the rest of the enemy on Auir and reactivated the Spear of Adun- an ancient Protoss warship of immense power.Thus with a secure homeworld the renewed Protoss could plan out their larger campaign against the Dark God Amon. That was when Amon revealed his secret weapon. When the majority of the Protoss race was gathered on their homeworld it was revealed that it was he who had created the Khala and that the largest portion of the Protoss race was bound to him. He seized control over much of the Protoss race, including Artanis . It was only through a bitter duel and the ultimate sacrifice that Zeratul freed his former pupil from Amon’s control by severing his nerve cords. Artanis waged a mini-guerilla campaign, together with the Nerazim, to free as many of his people as he could. Eventually he found the phase-smith Karax and after a brutal battle against corrupted Protoss and Zerg alike they succeeded in activating the Spear of Adun and fleeing Auir with the uncorrupted they had left. Upon receiving a request for aid from Matriarch Vorazun, Artanis returned to Shakuras and cleared out launch bays of the zerg so that her ships could escape. This was accomplished through stealth and assassination, for the Protoss needed to destroy the deadly seige hybrid known as the Void Thrashers to defend the launch bay. It was after the eacuation that Vorazun dropped a bombshell; that she planned to blow up Shakuras. Initially Artanis refused to do so however he came to aceede to her wishes. Artanis moved his forces to defend an ancient Xel’Naga temple while phase-smiths overloaded it with energy. However he was determined to inflict the maximum amount of damage to his enemies before leaving. Even after the temple was fully charged he held out until on-board sensors stated billions of zerg were on the planet and when Hybrids were appearing en masse. Only then did he warp he and his troops away before triggering the detonation. At Glacius he ordered his templar to reactivate the ancient purifier program, which had in the past caused the Protoss immense greif. At the same time the Tald’arim under Alarik sought to destroy the facity and bury its contents with heavy orbital firepower. Artanis used speed to evade and outrun the Mothership’s displacement beam as it devastated the city, even dealing with what defenses of the city Alarak could turn upon him and the vanguard of the Tald’arim who dug in. Impressed despite his loss, Alarak ominously declared they would meet again…

At the behest of Zeratul, Artanis took his forces to Korhal, where the Terran Dominion was under attack by the Moebius Corps. In a hectic timed scenario Artanis cooperated with Raynor's forces onboard the Sky Shield, dealing with the Shadow Corps's forces while Raynor's repaired the space platform's atmospheric stabilizers, preventing the platform from crashing into Augustgrad.

After securing the space platform, Artanis and Raynor now had to retrieve the Keystone which had been stolen by Mobieus Corps. Artanis had to serve as both a defender and attacker, for the hybrids turned the keystone into a weapon that could knock Terrans out for brief periods allowing for Hybrid assault on the defenseless dominion (though, as a side effect, it also knocked out the Moebius corps ). Artanis split his time between defending his allies and launching opportunistic assaults on the weakened Terran bases. Ultimately Raynor and Artanis prevailed in seizing the keystone, though Korhal took grievous damage in doing so. On Ulan he fought with the Tald’arim for control of the celestial locks that opened the temple. After a bitter back and forth he succeeded, entering the temple where he encountered Sarah Kerrigan fighting hybrid. Though initially reluctant to form an alliance with the woman who had caused his race so much grief his enmity of Amon and his forces prevailed, and the two began their trek to the center of the

Xel’naga temple together. Together they fought through ancient Xel’Naga guardians, hybrids, legions of Amon servents and even evaded Tal’darim displacement beams. Though much was learned about their origins ultimately the trip was a trap for the Xel’naga at the center had long ago been killed and the full force of Amon awaited. Had it not been for the unexpected defection of the Tald’arim First Ascendent Alarik Artanis likely would have died. As it was Amon opened up a portal to the void with the very essense of it proving fatal to all it touched but the hybrids. With Kerrigan doing her best to hold back the onslaught of Void Matter Artanis led the Protoss in strike forces to destroy key Xel’naga locations that would seal the portal to the alternate realm. Despite heavy presense of the hybrids and with some help from Kerrigan when she could spare it he succeeded. Kerrigan’s swarm needed time to rebuild from the recent fighting, so she rejected his attempt at a alliance. Instead she told him to gather allies, subjugate enemies, do all that he could to build up his own forces. Upon finding out about the purifiers, Artanis traveled to Cybros to reactivate them. There was a robot on the surface of Endion, which Cybros orbited that was designed to unlock the locks that guarded Cybros. By making use of the cliff-scaling Collosi Artanis eliminated the local Zerg threat of Amon's brood and used the robot to allow access to Cybros above. Upon landing on Cybros, they activated sections of the station. The first wave reawakened a Purifier with the personality of Executor Clolarion. Clolarion proclaimed that in order to align with the Daelaam, Artanis was mandated to assist Clolarion in eliminating Amon's brood from the surface. After fully activating the Purifiers, Collation activated the station's weaponry, destroying the Zerg brood on t that planet. Though reluctant, Artanis’s honesty and proven record of giving diverse factions a fair share won over the Purifiers to the Protoss cause. Next Artanis aided Alarak in taking over the Tald’arim fleet. Though Artanis found Alarak menacing and distasteful he quickly realized this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Before Alarak could make the challenge of Rak'Shir, he ordered Artanis to eliminate the Tal'darim guardians, claiming it to be a part of the ritual. After the guardians were killed, Alarak revealed that this was not a part of the ritual, but was a quick way of eliminating any Tal'darim that may challenge Alarak to Rak'Shir in the future. Alarak then approached Ma'lash and challenged him to Rak’shir. Alarak and Ma'lash then travelled to the Pits of Ascension to battle. The rules were that while none could interfere directly, allies could give psionic energy to their champion which would boost his performance in the duel. Ma’lash brought his own Talda’rim armies to the duel, as well as hybrids. Artanis fended off both attacks on his base directly and sent contingents of warriors to aid Alarak, eventually allowing the first ascendant to throw his former master off a cliff. Alarak became Highlord and, with no other rivals to challenge him, seized complete control of the Tald’arim. When the Terrans of the Moebius Corps launched a sneak attack on the Spear of Adun Artanis carried out the defense, entrusting his engineer, Karax, to lead a counter-attack directly on the Terran base.

Though Karax had never fought before in his life and had only breif academic knowledge of battle prior he proved to be a extremely quick learner. The battle was a quick success and Moebius was anihilated completely in the aftermath. By now Amon was reeling. Through precise strikes and key alliances Artanis had killed billions of zerg, anihilated his Terran servents, prevented the construction of more hybrids and seized control of the Tal’darim faction as his own. Now was the time for Artanis to lead a main attack on Auir. He, along with his top lieutenants, all led personal missions to sabotage the Auir Warp Conduits. This was to ensure that the Golden Armada could not immediately travel to Amon’s aid. After his lieutenants all led personal success missions Artanis led a small elite group of warriors to destroy the last of the Warp Crystals even as a rolling psionic storm forced a hectic demanding pace. With Purifier and Nerazim methodically destroying Zerg bases ahead of him and the Tal’darim bringing firepower Artanis succeeded in his objective, and the return of the Golden Armada was delayed They soon found that the bodies of the templar protoss combined with the carcass of the Overwind were being used to make Amon's host body. Artanis found that once the Void shards in the area were destroyed, then they could eradicate the host. Together the combined Daelam succeeded in this, and Cybros, the Spear of Adun, and the Death Fleet, all focused their fire, and destroyed Amon's host. The and final step was to wait for the Xel'Naga Keystone to activate. The battle was brutal and by the end Artanis was nearly totally overwhelemed. Yet after holding off the might of the Golden Armada, the Hybrid, and Amon's Brood, the Daelaam retreated to the Keystone's bunker. Immediately after the Keystone activated, Amon's influence on the Khala was removed. He then urged Selendis to sever her nerve cords. Selendis was hesitant to do so, asking what would become of their people. Artanis answered that they would be free of Amon. Selendis complied with his order before encouraging her fellow templar to follow suit With no physical bodies to possess, the Keystone banished Amon back to the Void. With the Protoss now capable of having free will, the Protoss race is ushered into the age of peace and prosperity on Aiur. Artanis erected a memorial for Zeratul and placed his warp blade on it as a tribute to his sacrifice. Shortly after the successful reclamation of Aiur, Artanis received a psionic call for assistance from Kerrigan, leading him back to Ulnar. Upon reaching Ulnar, Artanis, Kerrigan, and Raynor lead a joint Terran Dominion/Zerg Swarm/Protoss armada into the Void with the sole purpose of permanently killing Amon. The Protoss played the role of spearhead in the initial strike, assisting their allies in assaulting the fortress of the Xel’Naga by breaking into fortified ‘Void’ positions (for in the void representatives of all three races were fought, endlessly). Next as Kerrigan prepared to ascend to godhood he joined with Zagara and Raynor in defending her against unrelenting hordes. Finally, in the climax, the Protoss and the Raiders assisted Kerrigan in destroying the mighty void crystals powering Amon’s defense even as Amon himself used his formidable power to disintegrate their own bases one by one. They were assaulting a god in his own realm but ultimately the alliance succeeded, with Kerrigan unleashing the final blow.

LOADOUT

OFFENSIVE :Weilds both the Psionic Blade and Zeratul’s warp blade. He is also able to teleport quite efficiently in battle and even stun foes when he does so. In cutscene he demonstrated the ability to use psionic storms. DEFENSIVE: Highly durable Plasma Shield and armor. His shield rapidly regenerates and he has a move called ‘Resurgence’ which allows him to completely recover from fatal wounds when near death. In cutscene he used this after getting tackled and mauled by zerglings to come back to full ‘health’. He can also use his psionic powers to heal himself and nearby allies.

====X-FACTORS==== ADAPTIVE CREATIVITY: 77/100:, Artanis frequently is forced to deal with unique situations-like a sudden boarding action or the ritual of the Rak’shir duel- and always prevails. Too Artanis has been the consistent voice of the Hierarchy in adding new units and allies other, more conservative groups would not. TACTICS: 80/100: The majority of the battles he has fought, he has won. Usually he is massively outnumbered and, in the End War, outgunned & outmuscled by every conceivable Starcraft unit thrown at him at once. His only major loss so far is to Kerrigan.

STRATEGY:77/100: Over the course of the Legacy of the Void campaign, despite his foe being superior in pretty much every measure Artanis skillfully built up his allies, robbed Amon of his allies or large portions of his minions, and won battle after battle at low cost to his forces. INTUITION: 70/100: AUDACITY: 81/100: Artanis is very brave and is willing to commit troops under most circumstances however he will retreat rather than risk the total destruction of his forces. That said his perserverance and skill usually result in victory. PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: 70/100: Despite having a reputation as a thoroughly nice, honest individual he has shown great cunning at manipulating his enemy. This includes on Shakuras, where he fooled Amon into committing a large portion of his forces to the planet before lowing it up. He has successfully used diplomacy to convince both Purifiers and Tal’darim to join the Daelam , despite noted issues that existed on all sides prior to this EXPERIENCE: 83/100: Hundreds of years of training and with lots of fighting in between, but still young by Protoss standards. DISCIPLINE:91/100: Artanis has learned great control over his emotions and is willing to put aside such feelings as vengeance (against Kerrigan) if it benefits the Daelam. Also the description of this X-factor he meets. “Able to face an Eldritch Abomination while watching half the army vaporize and still acting cool would earn a ‘90+”. In the final battle agaisnt Amon he was forced to watch the unkillable, incredibly ancient (older than universes) Xel’naga obliterate his bases one by one while keeping his cool. INSPIRATION: 82/100: He is the only single Protoss to inspire loyalty among all four Protoss sects including the notoriously cut-throat Tal’darim. Every Protoss character shown below, even manipulative Alarak, possess great respect for him. This is why he was practically forced into becoming a leader by the original Protoss hierarch council. CORRUPTION: 45/100: Artanis is more light than dark however he is still willing to condone total destruction if necessary to save his race or prevent outright surrender.

===ARMY X-FACTORS===

MORALE: 81/100: As a race the Protoss fill in that ‘warrior’ architype and yet represent a paradox duality. As a race the Protoss put all due care into the preservation of their warriors lives, refusing to squander them needlessly, they also call upon them to make the ultimate sacrifice when the for the greater good of their race. This is something the Protoss due almost entirely without fear.On the battlefield high Templars will sacrifice their beings to turn into an archon if it can serve the Protoss race, a zealot will hurl himself into danger or a Void Ray operator will overload himself on energy if it can save the squad below. Protoss honor demands such sacrifice if necessary, even if the sacrifice made is the ultimate one. Every Protoss subset, whether it be stealthy Nerazim or fanatical Tald’arim, carries traits that lead to them showing little fear in combat. Even craftsmen in one incident, unused to war or the training that comes with, managed to come to terms fully that they would ally die horrible deaths moments after finding out that it would (unexpectedly) occur. They died calmly. Though tactical retreat is not unheard of routing is almost entirely unknown and outright surrender for the faction is almost inconceivable. In the words of Rohana when the Protoss find that victory is impossible, they seek glorious death. LOGISTICS: 88/100: Simply put the Protoss score one of the highest if not the highest logistics score in the tournament. Their bodies require only the sun or moonlight and a bare minimum of intake of water. Even then they can go weeks without either. Most of their weapons and shielding run on their own psionic powers or else use self-fueling generators. The only reason they don’t score higher is A. it is hypothetically possible for some to block out the sun and B. They require minerals and vespine gas to build their bigger machines and armor. However there is a weakness. By destroying pylons the enemy can disrupt the psi-network powering their bases . That said these are usually defended well and the Protoss now have backup units capable of fulfilling the role. *For PC purposes, assume all planets the Protoss fight on possess those materials.

ESPIONAGE: 81/100 While the Khala and Purifiers do not care much for stealth outside of their motherships/arbiters, the Tal’darim and Nerazim both have historic legacies of stealth. The Tald’arim waged a secret, stealth war for thousands of years against the main Protoss faction, being so successful that the Khalai were not even aware of their existence until five years ago. The Nerazim go even further, with their culture being heavily based on knowledge of evasion, stealth as well as the ability to hide in plain sight. They avoided successfully the Khalai Protoss for a thousand years due to these traits, even though their main world was in striking distance of the Auir fleet. Add in Protoss teleporters for rapid insertion and psionic powers, and you have a superb stealth force. DISCIPLINE: 72/100: The Protoss way of life prizes discipline over both emotions and their long training ensures that they seem to be behave with impossible discipline to Terran observers. This training is fully necessary to ensure control over their latent psionic powers and thus pretty much every Protoss warrior would have gone through it. They can react by telepathy and by virtue of their mentality are perfectly willing to sacrifice all if required . Once the majority of them had the Khala, which allowed for near-perfect unity, but the events of Legacy of the Void have done away this system. Three Protoss sub-factions- Purifier, Khalai and Tald’arim are trained heavily to obey orders without delay, with the Purifiers retaining their own Khala system of information sharing. Though the Nerazim are more independent in battle they still show little issue obeying orders in the short stories they are featured in. AGGRESSION: 59/100: The Protoss do not actively run and seek war by default yet to preserve the survival of their species they will do what they must . This includes genocide, planetary destruction or even the total destruction of an enemy faction if necessary. They will negotiate if they can however Protoss pride and belief in themselves means that negotiations must favor them or be neutral, for surrender or similar concept is regarded as so abhorrent that dying gloriously in battle would be preferred. The Tal’Darim, a domineering raider sect, would achieve a ‘68’ if left by themselves. COHESION: 61/100: Differences do exit between Khalai and Nerazim, and most extreme between the Tald’arim and just about everyone else, however this is not shown to impact battlefield performance. Indeed the Tald’arim are shown to have such a rigid hierarchy and belief towards the top that they are willing to obey without question the will of Alarak even when this new highlord pits them directly against their god and his promises to ascend them all to a more powerful form. To the Tald’arim the only genuine way to oppose Alarak’s will is for someone to challenge him to a ritualized duel for leadership…only that Alarak shrewdly killed everyone who could have in fact done so and had the chance to succeed, so his claim to the throne is, at this time, rock-solid.

Protoss armies possess varying degree of integration. In general, though certain Protoss commanders might prefer making their armies exclusive, the Khalai and Nerazim are pretty much integrated forces. The Purifiers are less so at the moment however the addition of the many Purifier esque units (Collosi, Adepts, Disruptors etc) show that it is fast becoming integrated into the overall force . Of the Protoss forces only the Tal’darim fight pretty much segregated by their own choice and will almost always arrive on the field commanded by their own (who will then have to work with other commanders). The sole exception outside of Tal’darim command is Artanis, who is respected enough to command units of all four factions in his army. OVERALL ARMY INTIMIDATION: 60/100: At first the Protoss merely appear aloof and mysterious, if at all. Gradually however as they activate their most devastating and fearsome weapons and combine that with brutal assassinations attitudes towards them change, and both of the other Starcraft factions fear what the Protoss are capable of.Supernatural, psionic powers would scare those with less familiarity (or bad experiences with) the concept. ‘Staring at the tall, proud, graceful aliens arrayed before him, Raynor felt something he wasn’t sure he’d really experienced before. Awe. The zerg were horrifying, terrible, enough to make even the bravest man quake with fear. But this was different. It was more than that, and less at the same time. He wasn’t afraid of the protoss, or at least that wasn’t all of it. He was afraid, but only because they were so much more than him. Raynor had learned confidence the hard way, by being forced to rely on himself and his own abilities to stay alive. He knew he was a capable fighter, a good tracker, a decent commander. He knew he could take most men in a fair fight. But facing these aliens he felt like a little boy again, clinging to his mother’s skirts. For the first time he understood, really understood deep in his bones, that these were aliens, beings from another planet, another race, another culture. And that they were ancient compared to him. Humanity was a mere child beside the protoss, and not a particularly promising one at that.’- Queen of Blades Reinforcement Rate : Extremely Low The total Protoss population likely numbers in the hundreds of millions, and not very high into the hundreds of millions either. Though that remaining population is pretty much militarized now the Protoss’s PC presence represents the greatest, last muster of this dying race . The Protoss do have the ability to ‘cheat’ this unfortunate fact slightly with recycled units (dragoons, stalkers, immortals and variants) and the ability to manufacture new robotic units on the battlefield (from the basic drone and sentinel zealot to mighty Collosi) . However they cannot completely do away with this weekness.

PAST OPPONENTS

TERRANS: The Daelam Protoss have dueled with the various Terran Governments – the Confederacy, the UED, the Dominion, even Raynor’s Raiders once – multiple times, and on most occasions were victorious (though Raynor managed to beat them). The Terrans specialize in mass industry, adaptability, and wield weapons far advanced from modern day including cloaked supersoliders, giant mechs, and armored space marines, along with various spacecraft and plentiful nuclear weapons. They carry a lot of firepower with them generally. In Legacy of the Void the full might of the possessed Golden Armada was pitted against the entirety of the Terran Dominion with General James Raynor, the one individual who knows the Protoss better than any other and who has achieved some success against them, leading this force. The Terran Dominion had difficulty even slowing this onslaught.

ZERG: By far the main opponents of the Protoss are the tenacious Zerg, who decimated their old empire. The Protoss have scored many victories against them but also many defeats. They specialize in biological adaptation, overwhelming numbers, and burrowing tactics. . A classic Swarm faction, and one that the Protoss either beat time and again, or are only defeated through vastly superior numbers. It is from the Zerg the Protoss learned the value of acting decisively.

PROTOSS: On occasion brother has been forced to fight brother, and the Daelam have been forced to deal with corrupted versions of themselves in the latest war against Amon. In general the Protoss tried to show extreme restraint but nevertheless proceeded with grim resolve.

ARMIES OF AMON : In the End War Amon deployed his full force in a final effort to wipe out life for good. There were three main components of this new force. The first is that they possessed massive amounts of all three races, including Khalai. The second is that Amon had hybrids, abominationmutations of immense physical and psionic power. Pound for pound these hybrids were superior to any Zerg or Protoss unit barring the largest and most incredible (capital ships for instance). The last and perhaps most significant was Amon’s ability to breach reality and summon hordes of ‘shadows’ . These shadows usually took the form of units of one of the three races but could include massive powerful void entities, some of which were capable of leveling entire bases. They were unlimited in number and the only way the Protoss could stop the flow of them is by assaulting key gateways that manifested that allowed them to pour force. At the same time the locations where they could be assaulted was full of Void Energy which would quickly drain shields and vitality of those who stepped in it. Despite being outmuscled, gunned, numbered, outmaneuvered and with the enemy having pretty much every conventional advantage Artanis whittled down the forces of Amon piece by piece and defeated him. Though both Terrans and Kerrigan’s Zerg were involved it was the Protoss who put the most work into foiling Amon’s plans in the Korpulu sector, being the ones to achieve victory on Auir. Later it was Kerrigan who finally brought the last Xel’Naga low in his own realm, but with DAelam assistance.

=====ADDITIONAL INFORMATION======

STRENGTHS: PSIONIC RACE: Every single Protoss warrior is a telepath, the full mechanics of which are eluded to in the opening. Their technology reacts to psionics and most incorporates psionic crystals or powers. In addition psionic powers appear with some commonality and even warriors as basic as Zealots or Nerazim are known to utilize them in large numbers. Also in terms of physical traits and mental, the Protoss are far ahead of their contemporary Terrans (see beginning for full information). WARRIOR RACE: Protoss warrior come with years of training and study, sometimes hundreds of years. They are an extremely prepared force when it comes to fighting with a significant warrior ethos (see Army X-factors). PSIONIC NETWORK/ STRATEGIC MOBILITY: The Protoss can deploy just about any unit, anywhere with frightening speed (seconds) .As discussed earlier this also can be extended to rapid and next to impossible withdrawals, if necessary. Lightning fast strikes can occur from segments of land hundreds of miles away from the front lines and pressed bases can get reinforcements within moments.

GOLDEN ARMADA: The Protoss air fleets, whether it’s the Tald’arim Death Fleet or the legendary Golden Armada, are the pride and joy of the Protoss force and a symbol of their power. This Armada is so powerful that both Zerg and Terran fear it and, indeed, in Legacy of the Void the latter proves incapable of stopping it, even with the highly capable James Raynor in command. PURITY OF FORM: By their nature the Protoss are highly resistant to infestation or mind control type attacks. STEALTH: The Protoss possess numerous cloaking units and units that can cloak entire armies around them. Some sections are skilled at guerrilla fighting SPECIALIZATIONS: The Protoss force is composed of many specialists, each with powers that add to the overall army and make it exceptionally formidable when added together. Mass infantry assaulting your force? Use Psionic Storms to annihilate large clumps! Enemy bringing large amounts of ungodly firepower? Freeze some in time with stasis and deal with the rest immediately before turning attention back to the former. Cloaking fields, weapon speed and damage upgrades, teleporting harrasments etc The Protoss have a lot of options available to them. RESILIENT ARMY: Every Single Protoss, from the basic drone to the hulking Collosi to the immense Mothership, is equipped with shields and armor. They are low in numbers so they make up for it by giving their armies as much defense as possible. PRODUCTION: Thanks to their unique buildings the Protoss are capable of producing mechanical and robotic units in campaign, some of which can be built quite rapidly.

LOGISTICS: A real life army of 5,000 with support and maintenance needs might utilize 25,000 gallons of water a day for everything to drinking to cooking, aiding in maintenance, laundry, cleaning, cooling etc. They will need lots of ammunition for when they run out, replacement parts (or replacement guns) for when something happens to theirs, equipment maintenance, food, shelter etc etc. They will need to maintain and protect a supply line for reinforcements of both people and supplies. The Protoss require a bare minimum of water every couple weeks and sunlight at the same intervals. Their shields and ammo are self-replicating and will return themselves to full energy over time. Protoss weapons and craft are known for being so well-made that, in the case of the Mothership’s crystal, there are three known malfunctions in their thousands of years of use. Protoss Phase-smiths can warp things in literally after of thin air and their supply lines (the psionic network) can be traversed nearly instantaneously by virtually their entire force. The only things they need are sunlight and some raw materials to help build their more powerful equipment. COMMANDER SPECIAL ABILITIES: Commander special abilities refer to those powers that a commander can bestow over his or her entire force via either the Spear of Adun or some lore-based special. As I am stripping the Protoss of any form of orbital bombardment or direct assistance (like the move that bestows troops an invincible shield in battle) many of these can’t be used by tournament rules. Only the most passive I am keeping. Those with a Commander’s name next to him are only available to forces under that commander or any allies on the field (for example Vorazun’s cloaking upgrades do apply to her allies). -PSIONIC MATRIX OVERLOAD: According to the tech manuel the spear of adun pumps psionic energy through the matrices to boltster nearby allies. In game this translates in units in the radius of a power field have +25% movement speed and +15% attack speed. Units that leave the power field retain these effects for several seconds. Great for defense! -VEIL OF SHADOWS (VORAZUN): Vorazun has researched how to improve her Nerazim’s mastery of the void. This ensures that all permanently cloaked units and units under her Dark Pylons regenerate their shields 400% faster in game when out of combat (so essentially very rapidly). The second buff gives all of her permanently cloaked units, ally permanently cloaked units, and any unit under the Dark Pylon’s field a 25% damage bonus (presumably the shots are charged with Void energy). -UNITY BARRIER (KARAX): Gives every single unit of both Karax and battlefield ally a secondary minor shield. This shield is pretty weak and probably only capable of absorbing some minor infantry fire or mitigating slightly a powerful blow. However it is still free defense. This barrier does not recharge and is one time. -CHRONOFEILD (KARAX) : Boosts the speed of all Protoss production buildings.

MOTIVATION: FOR THE DAELAM! The Protoss fight both for survival and the prospect of a glorious future to come. They wish to destroy Amon for good but also have optimism beyond that, as for the first time their race is not bound by tradition and is more unified in diversity than ever before. Protoss here will be fighting to preserve that, all of them willing to give their lives if necessary in its name.

WEAKENESSES : EMP WEAKNESS: Protoss shields, powers and technology are able to be disrupted by EMP blasts. Though the more powerful the Protoss unit the more powerful the EMP blast will require to down their shields all of them are vulnerable to it. EMPS targeted on spellcasters can temporarily drain their energy for spells. However though EMPS can drain shielding and powers, they cannot drain weapons (all Protoss units still capable of fighting).

Undoubtedly EMP weapons are a weakness however it would be incorrect to say it is a overpowering one. The Protoss have fought foes who have brought to the table massive EMP generators before, even one capable of effecting the entire planet every ten minutes. In part this is because Protoss shields and powers do recharge fairly quickly when out of combat. Another reason is that, even taking away shields and powers, Protoss units are still both incredibly durable and powerful due to armor. -LOW POPULATION: The Eldar probably outnumber them. PRIDE: Several thousand years ago Rohana gave a dire pronouncement regarding Protoss mentality when exploring the possibility of whether they should build more arkships. “Rohana continued. "You are right, Orlana. A single arkship would be enough to see our kind survive in the end times. But there will be no surviving arkships, no matter how many we build," she said. "When the end comes, what will be our first response? We will send an arkship, every arkship we have, to confront it directly." Rohana sent quick snippets of lives past to her sisters through the Khala. Proud warriors all, facing death with courage. Every one of them believed victory was possible even as they strode toward impossible odds. Pride was the protoss' great asset, and their great curse. "The Firstborn do not run. Not ever. The arkships will be squandered because the possibility of defeat will not enter the commanders' hearts until it is too late." Until gravity has a firm hold and the threshold is crossed. "And when the arkships burn, so, too, will the hopes of our kind. Our culture, our empire, our people—it will end in fire." Shantira and Orlana considered her words carefully. Rohana could feel them searching their own preserved memories, searching for anything that would refute her. She wanted them to succeed.

They didn't. Protoss sought glory in death when victory was impossible. Firstborn warriors were absolute believers. Should a truly indomitable foe emerge, retreating in an arkship would not be considered, even if it was the only option.” Some of these factors have changed. The Protoss do consider retreat now and are forced to consider defeat after suffering many of them. However the Pride is still there and effects every Protoss to varying degrees whether it is completely (Alarak) or with knowledge that they do suffer from it (Artanis & Rohana).

===VICTORY GAINS=== Once the Victory Gains section was a weakness, for the Protoss were slow to change due to rigid tradition and culture. However the events of the End War have forced that to change entirely. The Protoss are now extremely adaptive with technology, frequently improving their technology or incorporating improvements from elsewhere. Though still not good at incorporating technology from other races are they are now, at least, fairly adaptive.

====CAMPAIGN GENERAL STRATEGY===

OPENING SETUP: The first step of the Protoss force would be similar to that of most Starcraft racesbase building. They would build necessary buildings and create a series of main bases (multiple, given the extreme numbers of Protoss present) to establish a center point. Given that Protoss warp speeds are actually pretty high for buildings (pylons take seconds- less if you are Karax- and a highly doubt even the towering Nexus will take more than an hour) this shouldn’t take that long. They will then move out to build a series of forward bases and outposts.

At the same time the Protoss will actively send out their observers for early detection, possibly also using fast flyers , hallucinations or their on board ship scanners to get a general readout of the area. When the enemy is encountered Nerazim scouts will be sent to observe the enemy force, read enemy minds and conduct observation on whether they are hostile or not. Oracles, if they can get away with it, can place the spell ‘ Revelation’ on the enemy, revealing all that they do for a while. The Protoss are certainly one of the better factions at reconnaissance, if only because the ability to passively read other’s minds even when out of sight makes it both hard for others to sneak up on them, and easy to read the minds of enemies in negotiations, combat (potentially spoiling enemy battleplans) or just about any situation one can think of. These need not be complete, sensible thoughts- even a fragmentary blurb can reveal an immense treasure trove of information to a trained Protoss. It is also extremely difficult for an enemy to eavesdrop on their communication, as it is done through the telepathic Protoss language Khalani, which sounds like meaningless grunts to other languages and Protoss have to consciously allow outsiders in for them to be understood. They can widen their thoughts onto a whole audience or focus it on one person.

If War is determined at this stage (or another) by the Hierarch then the Protoss might quickly engage in covert ops. Master assassins and sabotuers, the Nerazim and Tal’darim Blood Hunters will do their best to kill officers or leaders, destroy supplies, disable key and powerful vehicles and any other mischief they can manage. With guerilla Stalker and Adept support, combined with the Protoss ability to instantly manifest armies via the Psionic network, great damage can be done at this stage. FOREIGN RELATIONS: The Protoss do not seek to incorporate any races into their ranks nor do they seek to destroy them. They would prefer very much to leave them alone and study them from afar, if able. I think the Protoss will very strongly assess any potential enemy faction in the beginning via telepathy. Any that show honor, compassion and kind traits the Protoss will treat more positively, though bullying and aggressive factions

will result in increased wariness. Evil and terrible factions might be engaged without any negotiations whatsoever. GENERAL STRATEGY: The Protoss are in fact willing to launch first strikes if they come to believe that their enemy is a fundamental threat to their survival or independence. It is not going to be done without some foresight and planning but it would be done unless the enemy attacked first (in which case a counterattack would be planned). One of the key traits of the Protoss is that, once committed, they do not hold back. When the Protoss engaged in a first contact war with the Terran and the Zerg, they immediately brought their most powerful weapons to bear from the outset. In the invasion of Auir the Protoss brought almost the entire Golden Armada to bear. In the End War they blew up one of their most important planets, scoured planets of life and even wiped out an entire organization of mind controlled individuals that could possibly be freed without hesitation. Only in the incredible occasion in which they fought James Raynor did the Protoss show any degree of hesitation and restraint against an enemy, and this was likely due to their unique history. Expect the Protoss to attack with overwhelming force from their very first assault, with Blizzard themselves noting that they specialize in pushing into dangerous positions and quickly destroying all opposition. Though some options may be left hidden they are in fact willing to bring their most destructive weapons to bear from the beginning. They will attack at multiple, precise locations to secure objectives, kill the enemy and follow up with instant forward bases(courtesy of Karax) to establish new beachheads. Those successful beachheads will be followed up upon while less successful can be retreated from . Ultimately the Protoss want to overwhelm their enemy with a series of coordinated strikes against priority targets. At the same time each of the various Protoss factions will pursue a different style, with the invasion of Auir giving an idea of how the four operate together. The Nerazim specialize in surgical stealth missions and sabotage along with the disruption of enemy defenses and leadership. The Purifiers focus similarly on surgical operations, though theirs is more based on pure destruction than other traits. The more conventional Khalai lead the main assault with the Tal’darim, who specialize in psionics and weapons of death, serving as backup and extra firepower. Other combinations are possible as Protoss commanders merge different factions together under their command or ally with a different factional commander. A Tald’arim-nerazim operation, for example, has the potential to be crippling to the enemy. ADAPTIONS: The Protoss have become more adaptive in their tactics but still have yet to achieve the level of the Terrans or the Zerg. With a steady defense to fall back upon they can and will plan out their attacks with greater caution and or aggression and will seek to learn quickly from the past what failed and what ddin’t. More powerful weapons can be deployed or in different combinations, though the Protoss attacking heavy from the beginning is going to limit the amount of unseen options.

RETREAT Once the Protoss never retreated and took heavy casualties from this. They have since learned the value of retreat and unless the Protoss commander senses the enemy needs to be held hear for various reasons (distraction, defending a key area etc) they are willing to retreat if necessary to attack from a stronger point. This can be done nearly instantly thanks to commanders being able to mass recall surrounded armies.

Though retreat will be considered and done if necessary, every Protoss force would do everything in their power to avert surrender. There is no surrender in Protoss history and no one seems to want to go down in history as the first example. This is to the point where one of the top experts on the Protoss stated that their race would go extinct before surrender.