Aiur

Aiur is the homeworld of the Protoss, located in a star system with a single yellow star and possessing a single moon not unlike Luna. The planet is covered with vegetation and has many lush jungles, populated by creatures such as the bengalaas. It has furious seas and stormy weather. Indeed, its summer storms have been known to appear over plateaus and disappear in the blink of an eye.

History
Aiur is a huge world located on the fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy. It was engineered by the Xel'Naga and left to itself for a long period of time. When the Xel'Naga returned, they discovered the Protoss on the world. They guided Protoss evolution, albeit too fast. As a result, they were forced to flee.

When the Xel'Naga were forced to flee the world, they left behind large amounts of Khaydarin Crystals.

Aiur was devastated in the Aeon of Strife but after the period ended, it began to steadily recover.

Aiur was attacked by the Zerg Swarm in an attempt to consume and assimilate the entire Protoss species. Though the Zerg Overmind was destroyed by the mighty High Templar Tassadar, who sacrificed his life in a kamikaze strike using Dark Templar energy, it was at best a pyrrhic victory: the swarms had infested most of the planet, killing 70% of the Protoss of Aiur and ruining much of the landscape. The planet was abandoned shortly thereafter through a Warp Gate which connected to the Dark Templar homeworld of Shakuras. Some Protoss were stranded on Aiur, and others volunteered to remain behind in order to defend the Aiur end of the Warp Gate.

The Warp Gate was destroyed when the United Earth Directorate invaded Aiur in their quest to arrest Terran Dominion Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. The stranded Protoss belonged to several groups; one led by Fenix and Raynor, the Shel'na Kryhas and the Tal'darim.

The Protoss refugees on Shakuras have made at least one trip to Aiur in an effort to recover wounded Protoss warriors.

Four years after the Brood War, Aiur is still occupied by the Zerg. While they have stopped killing each other, they still wander Aiur like "discarded tools" and have stopped spawning minions.

Psionic Matrix
Protoss structures and units, to a lesser extent, draw their energy from a great psionic energy matrix that emanates from Aiur. This energy can be linked to a Nexus, but Khaydarin Crystal-based Pylons are needed to actually tap into the energy required to provide psionic energy to new colonies and bases. Now that the Protoss have effectively lost Aiur, it is unknown how Pylon-based technology can still operate.

Native Species
Aiur is a planet high in biodiversity and has a large variety of flora and fauna. Known species include;


 * Bengalaas
 * Kal-taar
 * Kwah-kai
 * Lombad
 * Mai-lur
 * Omhara
 * Protoss

Cities

 * Mendella

Fortresses

 * Citadel of the Executor
 * Khor-shakal (Great Forum, or Heart of the Conclave); the seat of Aiur's government

Landforms

 * Eldritch Lake
 * Garden of Aiur
 * River of Light
 * Road of Remembrance

Provinces

 * Antioch
 * Scion

Regions

 * Asari Hunting Grounds
 * Ni Monn Adun
 * Xel'Naga Caverns
 * Crystal Chamber

Temples

 * Protoss Temple
 * Ziggurat