Raszagal

"I am Raszagal, Matriarch of the Dark Templar, and I welcome you and your companions to our world."

- Raszagal introduces herself to the Executor, Judicator Aldaris and Praetor Artanis.

Raszagal was the Matriarch of the Dark Templar until the Brood War. She was one of the most powerful psychics in the galaxy. She was renowned for her stoicism and calm.

The Discord
"You will hear, but you will not listen. You will not understand." "There is nothing to understand about lies and heresy!"

- Raszagal and Kortanul.

Raszagal was a young member of the Rogue Tribes, a secret protoss movement on Aiur which disdained the Khala, the innate protoss psionic bond. Raszagal herself was captured by Conclave agents and held prisoner. She was treated poorly (given a minimal ration of light, just enough to keep her alive).

The Conclave kept the Rogues a secret. They ordered the new Templar executor, Adun, to meet them at Khor-shakal, their Great Forum, alone. They told him about the Rogues, declaring them a threat to protoss society, as they feared their views could create another Aeon of Strife. They ordered him to execute Raszagal and other Rogues. Adun interrogated Raszagal, then asked permission to bring her to the Citadel of the Executor so he could show the other Templar why they had to execute her. Their leader, Kortanul, agreed, but demanded a quick execution.

Adun felt her views were reasonable, and couldn't bring himself to execute her. Instead, he hid her and the other Rogues, faking their executions. Raszagal insulted the Conclave in the recorded "execution", in order to distract them from looking too closely at her wounds. However, Adun felt the Conclave would soon demand to personally watch an actual execution, so he began teaching them how to hide from the Conclave. Raszagal learned this new power most quickly, but all the Rogues learned faster than even Adun could teach them. Unfortunately, this caused psionic storms to spiral out of control, alerting the Conclave to the deception.

The Conclave decided to banish the wayward Rogues from Aiur forever. The Templar under Adun were sworn to silence as the Rogues were loaded onto an ancient, but functional xel'naga ship. However, Adun's presence prompted Kortanul to attack him. Raszagal demanded Kortanul cease, so he attacked her people instead. The stress of the attacks could spark more uncontrolled psionic storms, so Adun took drastic measures to end the combat. The Rogues escaped, but Adun didn't live to see this.

Matriarch
Around the year 2000, Raszagal became leader of the Dark Templar tribes on Shakuras. By 2500 and at 1,045 years of age, she was one of the oldest living protoss, and of the Dark Templar. She ruled from her citadel in Talematros. Raszagal remained one of the few Dark Templar old enough to clearly remember Aiur from before their exile. However, as Raszagal aged, her control over her powers began to slip.

Welcome to Darkness
Sarah Kerrigan mentally enslaved Raszagal before or early in the Brood War.

Following the death of the Overmind, the zerg rampaged across Aiur, killing almost seventy percent of the protoss. Dark Prelate Zeratul proposed leading the remnants of the protoss population to Shakuras through a warp gate. Judicator Aldaris, after being told that they would be welcomed by the Dark Templar, reluctantly agreed. The refugees emerged on Shakuras, only to find the zerg had followed them through. Fenix and Commander Jim Raynor sealed the warp gate from the other side.

Raszagal met Zeratul and the refugee leaders at the Executor's Citadel at New Antioch. Raszagal was willing to forgive the protoss of Aiur for exiling the Dark Templar, as the agency that enforced that act, the Conclave, had been destroyed. She was even willing to make peace with Aldaris. Years later, Mohandar would speculate that Raszagal's choice was based on the knowledge that if the Nerazim turned the Khalai away, they would be no better than those who had banished her people during the Discord.

She explained that her people had discovered a xel'naga temple on Shakuras, which was the reason the Dark Templar had settled there. Raszagal proposed to her now-expanded military a potential solution: the xel'naga temple itself. Its powers enable it to destroy the zerg. Unfortunately, the temple needs the Uraj and Khalis crystals to be activated, and they were off-world. Her first request was to destroy the cerebrates which had infested the temple grounds. The protoss forces were up to the task, slaying both cerebrates with Dark Templar energies.

Strange Alliances
"My children, you must put aside your fears and misgivings to accomplish what must be done. For the time being, Kerrigan will assist you in your endeavors. Though she has been your enemy, it is enough that we share the same agenda now. Allow her time enough to prove herself to you, and you may find her to be a valued ally."

- Raszagal addresses her comrades.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Kerrigan appeared requesting to speak with the protoss; Raszagal and the other protoss leaders agreed to the meeting. Kerrigan had regained her independence following the death of the Overmind, and stated that she was not affiliated with the zerg attacking Shakuras. Rather, the zerg were controlled by cerebrates nurturing the growth of a new Overmind on Char. When the new Overmind reached maturity, Kerrigan would fall under its control. Kerrigan appealed to the protoss for assistance to kill the new Overmind.

Protoss opinion was divided. Aldaris refused to cooperate under any terms. Praetor Artanis and Zeratul also had misgivings, but reluctantly agreed on the urging of the Matriarch. Nonetheless, the protoss' first priority was the protection of Shakuras from the encroaching zerg; Kerrigan agreed to aid the protoss in finding the Uraj and Khalis crystals. Raszagal immediately ordered the new allies to recover the crystals with all speed.

The Bitter Taste of Victory
"There is something amiss here. The Matriarch has always been a wise and gentle soul. Though there is some merit in her decision, this is very unlike her."

- Dark Prelate Zeratul, in light of Raszagal's uncharacteristic aggression. The protoss recovered the Uraj and Khalis with help from Kerrigan, but returned to find Shakuras in a state of uproar. Aldaris had taken control of the Judicator and Templar refugees, and led them in an attack against Raszagal herself. Raszagal claimed they were being driven by their old prejudices, and ordered the Executor to terminate Aldaris. She would tolerate no dissent while the zerg were poised to strike. Zeratul felt that something was wrong. Raszagal had always been a gentle soul, he told Artanis. Still, he followed her orders.

After defeating Aldaris, they tried to convince him to return to the fold. However, Aldaris revealed that someone was manipulating Raszagal... but Kerrigan arrived and killed him before he could say more. For this act, Kerrigan was ordered to leave the planet. Kerrigan boasted that she had manipulated the protoss into killing her enemies, the cerebrates of the new Overmind, and told them she would see them "real soon".

Despite the losses, the time to activate the xel'naga temple had come. Raszagal was elated at the moment. Zeratul asked Raszagal if she was all right, or if Kerrigan's treachery remained behind. Raszagal quickly reassured him it was merely the stress of recent events. The temple was activated, destroying the zerg invaders.

The Reckoning
"Zeratul, my faithful servant. You must aid Kerrigan in this endeavor. The Overmind is our common enemy. It must be destroyed to insure that our people will survive!" "You ask me to aid this vile creature?" "I do not ask this for myself. Nor do I ask it on Kerrigan's behalf. I ask you to do this for our people, Zeratul. Obey me as you always have... Trust in my judgement."

- Raszagal and Zeratul

The Brood War continued, with the United Earth Directorate gaining control of the second Overmind. Kerrigan, knowing that the Overmind was a threat to her plans and that only Nerazim could slay it, returned to Shakuras. Her plan was to abduct Raszagal and use her as a bargaining chip to sway her people to fulfill her goals. The defenses of Talematros were overcome and Raszagal accosted.

Raszagal was spirited away to Char, with Zeratul following. Zeratul demanded her return, but Kerrigan told him she wanted him to do something first. If he and his Dark Templar would slay the young Overmind for her, she would allow Raszagal to return. When Zeratul hesitated, Raszagal convinced him that the Overmind was a threat to the protoss. Zeratul was forced to agree.

After Zeratul slew the Overmind, Raszagal told him she didn't want to return.

Realizing that Raszagal was still under Kerrigan's control, he had her spirited away, surprising Kerrigan. Zeratul put her in a stasis cell while he could activate the dimensional recall that would enable them to escape from Char. Kerrigan pulled a risky maneuver, however, defeating his forces. Zeratul killed Raszagal as there was no hope for them to escape now that Kerrigan has routed his forces, and he refused to allow Raszagal to live on as Kerrigan's slave. As she lay dying, Raszagal thanked him for his mercy and told Zeratul that he was the new leader of the Dark Templar. Kerrigan in an unexpected move allowed Zeratul to leave, claiming that she derived sadistic pleasure from watching him live on in perpetual guilt.

Legacy
"Thank you, Zeratul... You have freed me from her vile control at last. You have always served me with honor... Thus I must ask you... to watch over my tribe... Into your hands I give the future."

- Raszagal's last words.

Although Raszagal's life ended on Char, her legacy endured. Artanis began attempting to merge the Khalai and Dark Templar societies, although the process was difficult. More than once, the name of Raszagal was invoked to keep the peace. Dark Templar invoke her to watch over them. A statue of her could be found in Talematros. However, as the years wore on, many young Nerazim began viewing Raszagal in a negative light, viewing her unwavering calm and philosophies of unity as a sign of weakness. Her daughter, Vorazun, also openly criticized her mother, hoping to prevent the Hierarchy from using her mother as a symbol. And, deep down, as a means to step out of her mother's shadow. Vorazun eventually took Raszagal's place of matriarch, succeeding Mohandar.