Amon

"Older than the universe, more powerful than I can understand. And now, he's alive again."

- Sarah Kerrigan

Amon, otherwise known as the Dark Voice, Fallen One, the Dark One, the Dark God, and Truth-bringer, is a malevolent xel'naga connected to the Void. He seeks to break the "corrupt" cycle of the xel'naga and bring all life to an end, before remaking it in his image.

He has been described as "the universe's most ancient evil."

Early Life
Almost nothing is known about Amon prior to his ascension, although, by his own account he was forced to become a xel'naga and resented being torn from his previous life.

At some point millions of years prior to the Great War, Amon became disillusioned with the Infinite Cycle of the xel'naga, viewing it as corrupt. In what would be the last universe that bore witness to the Cycle, the xel'naga entered slumber in Ulnar after seeding the universe with life. Amon and a group of followers set out to secretly forge a single master race that would bring an end to the cycle.

Antiquity
"As I was your beginning - so shall I be... your end."

- Amon as his hybrids destroy the zerg and protoss

The Protoss
While the xel'naga created life, their modus operandi was to let it develop on its own. Amon and his followers broke this rule by coming to the world of Aiur, which had given rise to a species called the protoss. Amon and his followers uplifted the protoss, who initially revered them as gods. Eventually, Amon and his followers lost control of the protoss, who rebelled and drove them from Aiur. Nevertheless, Amon retained a number of protoss followers in the form of the Tal'darim, who separated themselves from their kindred.

Either by accident or design, Amon left behind several xel'naga Khaydarin crystals on Aiur. These crystals, upon being discovered by the protoss mystic Khas, led to the creation of the Khala. Although the Khala brought an end to the Aeon of Strife it also provided a means by which Amon could seize control of the protoss once again.

The Zerg
Having been driven from Aiur, Amon and his followers traveled to Zerus and began uplifting the zerg in order to create a race blessed with the "Purity of essence". Amon saw the zerg as a valuable tool, appreciating their ability to consume essence from other organisms. He thus bound them to the will of the hive mind, with only the primal zerg escaping his control. Amon also created the Overmind to control and direct the hive mind, so as to avoid the "failure" with the protoss. Although the Overmind was given though and reason, it was not given free will. It was given an overriding directive to consume the protoss, as part of Amon's plans to forge the Hybrid.

While Amon ultimately planned to eliminate the zerg, he considered the hybrids to be proof of the zerg's success in his greater plan. He intended to enslave the zerg and use them and the hybrids to wipe out all life in the galaxy, including terrans and protoss. Once the hybrids were dominant, he would dispose of the zerg and reshape all life in his own image.

Before Amon could complete his work on Zerus, the other xel'naga at Ulnar awoke and learned of his plans. They waged a war against Amon and his followers that ultimately culminated in Amon unleashing the Zerg Swarm upon the xel'naga, destroying almost all of them. Amon then fled to Ulnar, where he was defeated by the last few surviving xel'naga. Although his body was destroyed, his consciousness escaped into the Void, where he began plotting his return. Amon still retained cognition and his influence on the Overmind and the Zerg Swarm still remained. His work on the hybrids still continued under the guidance of Samir Duran also known as Emil Narud.

The Countervailing Pawns
"There is a malevolent presence within the Void that seeks to destroy everything we hold dear. Could this... Fallen One be a Xel'Naga? After so long, could the Gods themselves seek our destruction?"

- Zeratul's warning to Jim Raynor

The Overmind was not blind to its plight. It foresaw the apocalyptic outcome if Amon, whom it called "the Fallen One", was victorious. The creation of the Queen of Blades was largely the Overmind's attempt to free the zerg and prevent that future. In the future it glimpsed at, Amon recognized the threat that Kerrigan posed.

Kerrigan was reborn as the Queen of Blades after Amon's death. Because of this, while she still felt his lingering influence over her, and had her personality twisted, she was effectively an individual, as opposed to the Overmind. After the Brood War, Amon's will crept into her thoughts through the mutagen within her. She quietly prepared the zerg for four years as per his will. However, while Kerrigan felt his influence, Amon never directly controlled her.

In the meantime, Amon continued to observe the Tal'darim. He watched a Rak'Shir in which 800 Tal'darim were killed through Alarak's manipulation. Swathes of Tal'darim were killed, their fleet sent into disarray, and even Amon's own plans were hindered. Nonetheless, he was amused at the bloodshed.

Four years after the Overmind's death, Tassadar, now in spirit form, passed on the creature's vision to Zeratul, who made sure to warn Jim Raynor of Kerrigan's importance and to ensure her survival. Zeratul wondered if Amon (who he only knew as the Fallen One at the time) was a xel'naga. Regardless, Raynor followed through, and successfully de-infested Kerrigan on Char through a xel'naga device, freeing her of Amon's taint.

Resurrection
"You've already lost. Amon lives. You will see him soon."

- Narud's last words.

Emil Narud and Valerian Mengsk convinced Jim Raynor to collect a xel'naga device, at first for profit. This brought him into conflict with the Tal'darim who guarded most of the pieces, as well as Sarah Kerrigan, who feared it. Eventually Raynor took it to Char and used it to restore Sarah Kerrigan's humanity.

Alexei Stukov speculated that the xel'naga device used to de-infest Kerrigan may have actually had a hand in somehow reviving Amon. He noted that the original Queen of Blades had tremendous power, and that the device couldn't just simply erase it, surmising that it had to "go somewhere." Kerrigan wondered if hybrids had been on Char during the battle there to collect the energy on hand.

Shortly after the Battle of Char, Emil Narud stole the xel'naga device from Jim Raynor and traveled to Atrias, a Tal'darim-guarded world, where he revived Amon.

Kerrigan first became aware of Amon on Zerus, informed of his existence by the primal zerg called Zurvan. Guided by the Ancient One, she was reborn in primal form.

After returning to the Koprulu Sector, Kerrigan was contacted by a resurrected Alexei Stukov, now an infested terran. He pointed her to Skygeirr Platform, which was producing hybrids under the direction of Doctor Emil Narud. Kerrigan and her forces fought her way through the station, defeating Narud's forces which included Dominion troops, hybrids, and Tal'darim protoss. Eventually she found her way to the xel'naga temple beneath it. There, she battled Narud, revealed as a servant of Amon. Kerrigan defeated the shapeshifter, but in his last moments, Narud revealed that Amon was alive and would be returning soon.

Although Kerrigan nearly died, she was able to glimpse into Narud's mind before he died as well. Having initially assumed that Amon was permanently dead, she discovered that he was in fact alive. She realized that after killing Mengsk, she would have to face Amon one day, as somehow, Narud was successful in resurrecting him.

After defeating Mengsk on Korhal, Kerrigan departed to do battle with Amon.

Collusion with Ma'lash
According to Nuroka, once the First Ascendant of the Tal'darim, Amon's true plans involve destroying all creations of the xel'naga, including the Tal'darim. Amon saw death as the highest ideal, not failure. His saying, "Defeat your masters, or fall beneath them" was really "Defeat your masters, or rise beyond them". He believed that Highlord Ma'lash knew this as well, but Ma'lash continued to support Amon and kept this secret from the Tal'darim. Nuroka said that Amon was pleased when the Tal'darim killed each other, which could happen by the hundreds in Rak'Shir duels.

To this end, Nuroka enlisted the support of Fourth Ascendant Alarak, intending to kill Ma'lash and reveal the secret to the Tal'darim. In the end, Ma'lash killed Nuroka and Alarak took Nuroka's place. However, Alarak knew the secret and intended to plot against Amon secretly.

Whispers of Oblivion
Zeratul tracked Amon's place of rebirth to Atrias, where he believed he could learn the final piece of the xel'naga prophecy. During his infiltration of the Temple of Erris, the Tal'darim highlord Ma'lash used a Void catalyst to contact Amon. Amon ordered the highlord to prepare the Tal'darim for war. Zeratul oversaw this and led his forces into damaging the conduit. At this point, Tassadar appeared in the conduit and told Zeratul that "the Keystone shall usher you unto hope". Afterward Amon reappeared in the conduit, killed many of Zeratul's troops with his powers and began summoning shadows of the Void, as well as a few hybrids to prevent Zeratul's escape. Amon set the temple to collapse. Zeratul was able to escape, however, intending to warn Artanis.

Legacy of the Void
"The End War has come. Amon, the Dark One, has returned."

- Zeratul

Amon returned, hell-bent on setting the galaxy ablaze and remaking it as he saw fit. This was the culmination of a plan he had set into motion millions of years ago. He made his presence known to the protoss in the midst of the Golden Armada's attempted reclamation of Aiur. He was able to corrupt the Khala. Afterwards, he led his hybrid forces in a galactic assault. He also possessed control of some zerg, and was also served by the terran Shadow Corps.

Game Unit
In StarCraft II, a portrait called "Dark Voice" is available as an achievement reward. A separate Amon portrait can be unlocked in Legacy of the Void.

Raw data exists for Amon in the map editor.

Personality and Traits
"Amon does not see death as failure. He sees death as the highest ideal. I have seen it in His heart. What did He name our dueling grounds? The Pits of Ascension. He mocks us. Amon does not celebrate the winners. He salutes the losers. They are the ones who ascend in His eyes. He makes us carve each other into bits because that is His plan for us all."

- First Ascendant Nuroka

To Amon, death is the highest ideal. For all the adulation the Tal'darim give him, he possesses no love for his subjects, mocking those who partake in Rak'Shir. He has demonstrated overconfidence and egotism on ocassion, mocking his foes when certain of victory. Even when his own plans were set back, he found amusement in watching the Tal'darim slaughter one another.

Abilities
"Amon cannot die. It would be easier to destroy every star in the galaxy."

- Fourth Ascendant Alarak

Amon is supposedly immortal. Even after his apparent death prior to the Great War, he retained enough cognition to observe events outside the Void. Within the Void, he is said to have matter-manipulation abilities, and that without his blessing, no protoss could survive long there. At the least, he has demonstrated great power, able to communicate with his foes even without a Void conduit, and create and/or dispatch shadows of the Void en masse.