Nerazim

"Though we strike at you from the shadows, do not think that we lack the courage to stand in the light."

- Zeratul to Sarah Kerrigan

The Nerazim, or the Dark Templar as they are known to outsiders, is a tribe of protoss who shun the Khala.

The Nerazim use a verdant green as their tribal color while platinum is the dominant color on the field of battle.

Overview
"Control, subtlety, improvisation&mdash;these are but a few of the virtues of a well-trained dark templar."

- Theromos The Dark Templar have "sharper" features than the Khalai, and perceive things differently.

Nerazim often cut off their psionic appendages, and developed the use of special clamps to control the energy bleed. The style of these clamps has changed over time. They can also be used for Khalai protoss who lost their own psionic appendages by accident or in battle (particularly with the zerg).

Nerazim technology is similar enough to Aiur technology that these protoss can intuit how to use the technology.

Dark Templar, alone or in groups, have sought xel'naga artifacts.

Nerazim warriors have undergone centuries of discipline and training. Terrans possess a limited number of technologies that are capable of dealing with these warriors.

Nerazim warriors utilize a fluid combat style that cannot be mimicked exactly by terrans.

Culture
"In my heart...Raszagal is not a threat. I have questioned her-extensively. Nothing in her desires revolution, or disharmony. She merely wishes to keep herself to herself. Is that worthy of death?"

- Executor Adun

Driven by individuality and a thirst for knowledge, the Nerazim developed along a very different path than the Khalai. 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. By their nature the Nerazim are a diverse group of freethinkers motivated by their regard for one another and tribal bonds rather than abstract notions of authority. Different clans take great pains to distinguish themselves through variations in weapons, armor, markings, and dress. Regardless of clan, reputation and personal responsibility are paramount in the eyes of any Nerazim: individuals must always be accountable for their actions. As a result, deeds rather than words act as the dark templar's guide. Individual clans can be prone to feuding and rivalry, but they are quick to band together against a common threat, such as that presented by the zerg. They are less demonstrative than the Khalai when it comes to the display of emotion. The Nerazim maintained the same system of writing as the Khalai. Unlike the Khalai however, female Nerazim are able to become figures of authority.

The xel'naga retain the position of "gods" in Nerazim religion. They consider anything that "taints" the Void to be unholy. Some, if not all Nerazim appear to store their dead in mausoleums and crypts.

Before officially becoming a Dark Templar, one undergoes a Shadow Walk.

Psionic Abilities
"Silence does not suffocate. Listen to it, teacher. It embraces you."

- Tyrak to Lekila

Dark Templar were taught to hide from the Conclave by the powerful Templar Adun. This ability has been described as "bending light" and "merging with shadows".

Dark Templar wield the energies of the Void. These energies are harmful to the zerg cerebrates and Overmind due to the similarities of the cosmic energies they wield. The Dark Templar consider their powers to be the "true gifts" of the protoss, and consider the Khala to be diluted and narrowed by the (former) leaders of the protoss, and the robbing of individuality. Their own powers are considered "wider". This power protects Dark Templar from zerg infestation. However, those who walk the path of the Void do so with diligence and reverence, for they know full well the dangers lurking in the shadows of the Void.

Dark Templar are cut off from the preservers; they have no preservers of their own, and their memories cannot be accessed by the preservers. As they are severed from the Khala, communicating with the Nerazim via telepathy requires Khalani to actually be spoken rather than the essence of thoughts being expressed.

A group of protoss survivors stranded on Aiur, the Tal'darim, were cut off from the Khala and developed abilities similar to those of the Dark Templar.

All Nerazim possess a "shadow essence." This essence can be fused into the stalker.

Origins
"As impossible as it may seem, there are some among us who would destroy everything we have sought to build over the last millennium. They question the Khala. They maintain that the right of the individual takes priority over the good of the whole. Some have even resorted to the extreme measure of self-mutilation in order to sever their connection to the Khala."

- Judicator Kortanul

A few rogue tribes refused to submit to the Khala, believing that their individual identities would be erased to further promote the rule of the Judicator Caste. Although they were not hostile or militant, they believed that the communal agenda of the Conclave would be the eventual doom of the protoss. The rogues held no ill-will toward their brethren and attempted to live their lives unnoticed as best they could. Nonetheless their existence was known to the Conclave.

Approximately one thousand years before the Great War, the Conclave, under the leadership of Kortanul, had collected records on the locations of the Rogues. The Conclave ordered the Executor Adun to report to the Conclave so they could tell him about this new threat, which they believed could cause a new Aeon of Strife. Adun was given Raszagal, a young prisoner, to question. He brought her to the Citadel of the Executor so the other Templar could question her. The Conclave gave him their information so he could quietly track down the rogues, abduct them, and execute them.

Adun was unable to bring himself to execute the Rogues. He transmitted fake recordings of the executions to the Conclave and hid the Rogues, even teaching them how to cloak. The Rogues ended up developing these abilities more quickly than Adun could teach them. Unfortunately, the Rogues, still learning their powers, lacked the discipline of the Khala. They inadvertently unleashed psionic storms, which spiraled out of control on Aiur. The Conclave discovered the corpses of dead Rogues, only to realize these Rogues had been depicted in the execution recordings.

Exile
The Conclave could neither punish Adun nor slay the Rogues, as he would force them to publicly admit the existence of the Rogues. The Conclave decided to banish the wayward Rogues from Aiur forever on an ancient, but functional xel'naga ship, along with other protoss ships which Adun insisted they be allowed to take with them. However, last-minute squabbling threatened the Rogues, and Adun feared they might accidentally create psionic storms again. Adun created a blue mist with a combination of Khala and strange energies, which covered and protected the Rogues. However, the power caused Adun to burn out like a star.

Shortly afterward it was discovered that the exiles had stolen the powerful Khalis crystal from the Sargas Tribe (the tribe from which most of the exiles stemmed) and taken it with them.

They ceremoniously cut off their nerve-appendages to show their disdain for the Conclave and the Judicator. This act cut them off from the Khala, forcing them to draw their psionic energies from the void. As their legend spread across Aiur, sparking the imaginations of many young protoss, this tale worked to incriminate them. Although they were hunted and feared by their own brethren, the Dark Templar never abandoned their love of Aiur and worked to safeguard it in any way they secretly could.

During this time the creation of the dark archon was banned. They developed their fleet of Corsairs, vessels designed to defend themselves as they had traveled through the stars. Onboard the xel'naga ship they had been exiled on, the Nerazim were able to gain access to new knowledge, which helped them create warp blades.

Into the Stars
The first step on the Dark Templar's journey was the moon of Ehlna, which they discovered shortly after leaving Aiur. It had a xel'naga-crafted warp gate, so the exiled protoss stayed. They discovered the moon had a combination of energies which altered khaydarin crystals, making them quite efficient at storing memories. Without preservers, the Dark Templar had no other way to store memories, so they used this technological means. After more than two centuries, the Dark Templar departed, but some remained to operate a shrine, the Alys'aril, where the memories could be extracted from pilgrims and stored. Numerous vessels remained behind as well.

Upon finding a xel'naga temple on Shakuras the Dark Templar decided to remain there to study it.

Struggling to adapt to their harsh and nearly lightless environment (protoss feed on light), the Rogue Tribes altered their skills and even their biology to cope. The abilities that Adun had taught them served them well on their adopted homeworld, and their culture flourished. Some tribes would live in other star systems and aboard small ships.

Eventually Raszagal, age 1045 in 2500 and one of few Dark Templar who was old enough to clearly remember Aiur, became Matriarch of the Dark Templar. She ruled for approximately five hundred years before the outbreak of the Brood War.

The Coming of the Zerg
The Dark Templar learned of the zerg from discovering their s and in 2500 Dark Prelate Zeratul was drawn to Char by a powerful psionic call. On Char, he encountered Executor Tassadar and overcame his prejudices.

The Dark Templar were greatly concerned about the zerg and chose to test themselves in battle against small bands of zerg on Char. The zerg proved frighteningly resilient and numerous, and so the Dark Templar brought the Khalis to Char so that they might try to wield its energies against them. While Tassadar diverted Kerrigan, Zeratul killed Zasz and became temporarily linked with the Overmind.

Once the Overmind's silence was broken, Zeratul's army was trapped by a cerebrate and devastated by Sarah Kerrigan. They lost the Khalis crystal.

Zeratul was found by Tassadar in an installation and convinced to return with him to Aiur

Return to Aiur
On Aiur, Zeratul and his dark templar helped Tassadar's followers destroy the Heart of the Conclave. However, Tassadar surrendered and Zeratul slipped away in the chaos. but they returned in time to rescue Tassadar from Judicator Aldaris.

Zeratul infiltrated the primary zerg hive clusters and assassinated two cerebrates. The Conclave saw the results of this and admitted via Aldaris they were wrong about the Dark Templar. Zeratul participated in the assault on the Overmind, which ended when Tassadar channeled Dark Templar energies through the hull of the Gantrithor and crashed it into the Overmind, destroying it.

The Brood War

 * Main article: Brood War

Zeratul banded together with Aldaris, Praetor Fenix and Commander Jim Raynor in order to unite and lead the Khalai survivors. He offered to shelter them on Shakuras and found them passage to the warp gate. On Shakuras, the Dark Templar rescued the refugees when they were ambushed by hydralisks.

Raszagal welcomed the Khalai to Shakuras and ordered the death of two cerebrates who had infested the temple grounds. The Dark Templar were instrumental in this. It was then that Kerrigan arrived and Raszagal, who had been mentally enslaved by Kerrigan, asked the protoss to accept Kerrigan's assistance. While Kerrigan and Zeratul assisted Praetor Artanis and the Executor in securing the Uraj and Khalis crystals, Aldaris began an open revolt against Raszagal, who in turn ordered his death. Zeratul felt something was wrong with Raszagal, who was normally gentle, but followed her orders, even authorizing the creation of dark archons to match Aldaris' forces. Kerrigan killed Aldaris before he could reveal Raszagal's secret, and Zeratul banished her from Shakuras.

Raszagal claimed that she was wearied by recent events. With her encouragement, Zeratul carried the Khalis to the crystal while Artanis carried the Uraj. They channeled the temple's energies, resulting in an explosion which obliterated the zerg on Shakuras.

Ulrezaj's Rebellion

 * Main article: Enslavers: Dark Vengeance

A combined Templar and Dark Templar force left Shakuras to conduct a mission on Aiur; the rescue of a number of wounded protoss warriors abandoned in stasis cells on the world. The protoss had to fight their way past zerg colonies to do so, but when they reached the stasis cells, a quartet of Dark Templar appeared and destroyed two of them (killing the protoss within). They were forced to surrender before they could destroy the third cell.

These Dark Templar were led by Ulrezaj, who hated the thought of harboring Khalai on Shakuras. He claimed that slaying the high born Templar was a sacred act. In a demonstration of protoss unity, a tribunal consisting of protoss from Aiur and Dark Templar sentenced Ulrezaj to imprisonment. The trial was interrupted by an attack of terrans. Early in the attack, they freed Ulrezaj and his minions, who stole a number of khaydarin crystals before fleeing.

Ulrezaj had created an alliance with Alan Schezar and his Scavengers, who had previously used khaydarin crystal-based techniques to control a cerebrate and thus an entire brood. Their plots included using warped khaydarin crystals to control and mutate zerg until they could withstand the power of the xel'naga temple and to use a powerful EMP Generator during battle against the protoss of Shakuras. Their plan involved unleashing the enhanced zerg upon Shakuras, which would cause the Dark Templar to flee to their hidden places, leaving the protoss from Aiur exposed to assault. However, the plan partially failed; a combined Khalai/Dark Templar force destroyed his warped crystals.

Ulrezaj and Schezar still tried the second part of their plan, using the EMP Generator to weaken the opposing protoss forces, while Schezar's Scavengers and the Fist of Ulrezaj attacked, but they were defeated.

Web of Treachery
Raszagal was kidnapped by Kerrigan's minions when Talematros was destroyed. Zeratul traveled in a carrier to Char Aleph, demanding to know why Raszagal had been taken. Kerrigan revealed that she stole Raszagal to use as leverage in getting him and his brethren to kill the Overmind for her, but Zeratul had reservations. He obeyed only when Raszagal asked him to do it for the sake of the protoss. Zeratul and his dark templar went to the surface of Char and killed the Overmind. Zeratul then demanded that Kerrigan release Raszagal at once. However, when Kerrigan asked if she wished to return to her people, Raszagal replied that she wished only to serve Kerrigan and remain at her side. Zeratul realized that Kerrigan had corrupted Raszagal's mind.

Zeratul circumvented Kerrigan's defenses and rescued Raszagal before regrouping with a number of protoss survivors on the surface of Char, but Kerrigan and her broods closed in before they were capable of dimensional recall. Zeratul dealt Raszagal a mortal blow rather than let her be recaptured. In her last moments, Raszagal thanked Zeratul for freeing her from Kerrigan's control and named him the new leader of the Dark Templar. Feeling unfit to succeed Raszagal, Zeratul went into self-imposed exile.

Reunification
In the proceding years, leadership of the recombined protoss civilization fell to Hierarch Artanis, who struggled to maintain unity against the deep-seated distrust and resentment between the Khalai and Nerazim. Raszagal's name was frequently invoked to keep the peace. The prior zerg invasion of their world caused the Dark Templar to become more battle-hardened. The Dark Templar combined their technologies with those of the Khalai. Their collaboration produced astonishing new developments, including the void ray and the stalker. Although the Nerazim were counted as part of the Daelaam&mdash;a united protoss people, internal tensions led to tribalism in both the Nerazim and Khalai,

Maw of the Void
A group of dark templar were imprisoned by the Tal'darim on a derelict xel'naga worldship in the Sigma Quadrant. They offered to assist Raynor against the Tal'darim if he released them.

Nerazim Organizations
Judging the total power of the Nerazim is almost impossible, for most are nomadic folk scattered across dozens of star systems in small ships and hidden enclaves. It's quite possible that their combined strength is enormous.

Clans and Tribes

 * Alyssar
 * Boros
 * Lenassa
 * Zer'atai

Warbands
The Dark Templar often operate in independent warbands. Known warbands include;
 * Dabiri's Shadow Company
 * The Fist of Ulrezaj

Notable Nerazim

 * Main article: Dark Templar individuals


 * Mohandar (current leader of the Dark Templar)
 * Raszagal (former leader of the Dark Templar, deceased)
 * Ulrezaj (dark archon)
 * Vorazun
 * Zeratul

Dark Templar Technology

 * Centurion
 * Soul hunter
 * Stalker
 * Warp blade

Ships

 * Corsair
 * Oracle
 * Scout (different from the Khalai variant)
 * Star relic
 * Void ray