Shakuras

"A dark land of ancient plateaus and oceans of night... Night becomes day, and our ancient fathers aid us... We erase that which blights our face, but not that which lies within... The land that rests in twilight will be the place of our greatest triumph and also our greatest shame."

- Tenarsis the prophet

Shakuras is the homeworld of the Dark Templar. It possesses at least two moons of different sizes, the larger of which has the outermost orbital path and the smaller one being much closer. Its star system also features a gas giant.

Shakuras is a desert planet with ebony rock, fixed in a state of perpetual twilight, although there are now clear differences between night and day. In contrast with Aiur (homeworld of the Khalai protoss), Shakuras is a planet almost devoid of vegetation. It is also the homeworld of the kakaru. The skeletons of previously-existing lifeforms can be found scattered over the planet.

It is home to a warp gate and a xel'naga temple. The capital was Talematros. The city was destroyed during the Brood War but was rebuilt by 2503.

Early History
When Khas created the Khala some tribes refused to submit. Adun was sent to destroy the dissenters but instead attempted to teach them ways to conceal themselves. Ultimately these "Dark" Templar were found and exiled from Aiur aboard an abandoned but functional xel'naga freighter. The Dark Templar travelled through space for many centuries, never permanently settling on any planets, until they found Shakuras. The world possessed a xel'naga temple and the Dark Templar decided to stay to research the structure. Shakuras was a harsh desert, and the Dark Templar had to alter their own biology to adapt to the world.

Despite their isolation, Shakuras was not entirely unknown to the Khalai, the prophet Tenarsis recieving visions of the world and the conflict that would blight it long before the reunification of the protoss kindreds.

Settlement
"The destruction of our ancient home of Aiur still pains me. The blackening of our lands, the destruction of our cities and the defilement of our temples by the accursed Zerg leaves a void in my soul that can never again be filled. Now Shakuras is my new home, and I am finally beginning to understand why our exiled Dark Templar brethren settled here. I've spent many days just quietly gazing out at the strangely sad beauty of the water here. The waves hold the color of pure indigo and they mesmerize me and calm my soul. How could anyone leave this place after seeing such sights?"

- High templar Rassidan

These tribes eventually settled on Shakuras, expanded, and began life anew, although some lived on space vessels rather than the planet themselves. The Dark Templar were forcibly reunited with their Khalai counterparts by Zeratul and Aldaris when the decision was made to evacuate the remaining protoss tribes on Aiur through the warp gate to a safer location. Fenix remained behind to guard the warp gate from the other side, assisted by Jim Raynor.

On the other side, the protoss found Shakuras. They did not immediately find Dark Templar waiting there to greet them, and indeed the Shakuras side of the warp gate was completely unguarded. The protoss refugees, feeling they were under the protection of Zeratul, established a new base camp.

Unfortunately for the protoss, the zerg took control of the warp gate after the protoss fled and invaded Shakuras; a band of Dark Templar rescued the Khalai from the zerg. In order to defeat the zerg completely, Matriarch Raszagal revealed the secret of the xel'naga temple &mdash; it was built on a nexus of cosmic energy, and could be activated to wipe out the zerg on the planet. Unfortunately, it couldn't do so on its own. It needed the power of the Uraj and Khalis crystals to do so. After the protoss slew two cerebrates around the temple, Infested Kerrigan appeared, astonishing the protoss, and offering alliance. She told them a new Overmind was growing on Char, and as long as the Overmind was immature, it could not control her. While the protoss were uneasy, Raszagal immediately accepted her claims.

Artanis and Zeratul, along with Kerrigan, traveled through the Koprulu Sector to acquire the crystals. Upon their return, they found Shakuras' protoss population in civil war. Aldaris, leading many protoss from Aiur, believed that Raszagal had fallen under the dark influence of Kerrigan and was determined to overthrow her. He was defeated, but before he died revealed Kerrigan's treachery. Kerrigan swiftly departed the planet.

Zeratul and Artanis used the Khalis and Uraj to activate the xel'naga temple and obliterate all the zerg on Shakuras. In doing so, they caused the sun to rise, changing the nature of the world.

After the Sunrise

 * Main article: Enslavers: Dark Vengeance

A Dark Templar terrorist known as Ulrezaj tried to drive the Protoss of Aiur away from Shakuras. His plot involved using false khaydarin crystals to genetically enhance zerg to run amok on the planet, as these zerg were immune to the effects of the xel'naga temple, causing the Dark Templar to hide in their secret places and leave the other protoss to fend for themselves. Fortunately Zeratul and Artanis were able to launch an expedition aimed at destroying the false crystals. A Dark Archon Hero and other protoss warriors infiltrated Schezar's Char base, destroying the crystals.

Ulrezaj had hatched another plot, however. Working with terran mercenary commander Alan Schezar, they created an EMP Generator capable of weakening protoss psionic energy, granting an enormous combat advantage. However, Zeratul's forces were able to defeat Ulrezaj and save their planet.


 * Main article: StarCraft Episode VI

Infested Kerrigan was not finished with Shakuras, however. She returned in order to "acquire" the Matriarch, who was hidden in the capital city of Talematros. As a sign of cooperation between the two groups of protoss, both groups lived there and both contributed to its defense. The city was guarded by (in addition to the usual protoss defenses) special pylon clusters which generated a powerful energy field, preventing zerg from maneuvering in the nearby atmosphere. However, Kerrigan's agent, Infested Duran, was able to overload the pylons through the use of explosives, destroying the entire city. In the mass confusion, Kerrigan kidnapped Raszagal.

End of the Brood War and the Aftermath
In the aftermath of the failed joint UED-Terran Dominion-protoss attack against Char, Artanis and the survivors of his fleet returned to Shakuras to rebuild their civilization. Artanis spent many years trying to unite the Khalai and Dark Templar tribes and began researching xel'naga technology for the eventual war with the zerg.

In 2503 protoss survivors from Aiur, accompanied by a terran named Rosemary Dahl, arrived on Shakuras. They had fled combat with Ulrezaj, and wanted to recover a preserver, Zamara and her "host", Jake Ramsey. The Tal'darim had been subjected to a drug, Sundrop, which had cut them off from the Khala, but they eventually broke their addictions and reintegrated into protoss society.

Other Appearances
Shakuras was planned to appear in StarCraft: Ghost, specifically the idea of an underground area in which Dark Templar resided. The idea never got off the ground however.

Settlements

 * New Antioch
 * Talematros

Establishments

 * Shakuras Templar Proving Grounds

Landforms

 * Isle of Razjan
 * Kakaru Keys
 * Rock Garden
 * Shakuras Plateau

Structures

 * Warp gate
 * Xel'naga temple