The Conclave was a small group of elders that ruled over the Judicator Assembly.[1]
Organization[]
The Conclave were a group of elders, chosen for their wisdom and their knowledge and orthodoxy in relation to the Khala.[2] The Ara Tribe controlled who presided within the Conclave, as it maintained the power within the Judicator caste.[1] In addition the Ara commanded the khalen'ri[2] Praetor Guard, the personal guard and enforcement arm of the Conclave.[1]
Female members of the Conclave were a rarity later in the Protoss Empire, to the point where some among the other castes were unaware of the existence.[3] However, female Judicators did sit on the Conclave.[4]
At least one preserver was always on hand at the Conclave during its existence. They knew many secrets also known to the preservers, who could offer advice but could do little more than observe. Preservers were utterly forbidden from serving on the Conclave.[3] In spite of this, respected preservers had the ear of the Conclave, and were often able to shape policy and decisions with their advice.[4]
The Conclave convened at the Khor-shakal ("Great Forum")[2] also known as the "Heart of the Conclave".[5][6]
History[]
Early History[]
The Conclave was formed during the Second Age of the Protoss Empire.[1]
Early on the Conclave forbade entry into the Xel'naga caverns where Khas rediscovered the protoss psionic link. The Conclave also hid the discovery of a xel'naga ship from protoss society, although it allowed extremely limited and controlled access to reverse engineer its technologies.[2]
The Conclave directed that all texts and artifacts from the Aeon of Strife be sealed away on the xel'naga archive world of Zhakul upon taking power. The information was entrusted to a trio of preservers.[7]
At the advice of the Grand Preservers Rohana, Orlana and Shantira, the Conclave ordered the construction of three great arkships, the Spear of Adun, the Memory of Nezin, and the Pride of Altaris in case a great calamity befell the Protoss Empire. However, the presevers ascertained that as they were still in use, the protoss would throw them against any and all threats to the Empire, and so the Grand Preservers swayed the Conclave to seal the arkships in stasis underneath Aiur, with themselves and a contingent of warriors in them, only to be awoken in a time when the Conclave viewed the Empire was losing and on the brink of collapse.[4]
The Purifiers[]
The Purifiers were built under direct order of the Conclave to be an ultimate fighting force at a time when protoss scientists were making technological advancements in intelligent robotics and artificial intelligence. The program was originally kept in shadow and unified by the belief that consciousness could be turned into data, thereby used to preserve the thought-process and decision-making ability of a formerly living being. Studies proved that the replications were often 99.3% accurate to the protoss subject the replication was patterned after. The Conclave moved to use this technology to build a force replicated from the greatest warriors in history.
They did not, however, treat the Purifiers with the same respect afforded to regular Templar. Instead, the purifiers were little more than slaves in the Conclave's eyes. Eventually, the Purifiers chose to rebel, killing their masters. In return, the Conclave determined that the purifiers were too dangerous and banned them. They were powered down and launched away in a command vessel, Cybros, to be reactivated only in the direst of circumstances.[8]
The Dark Templar[]
The Conclave kept secret the existence of a group of rogue protoss that refused to submit to the Khala, convinced that their aberrant influence might spread throughout protoss society and destroy all that Khas had accomplished. They ordered Executor Adun to eradicate them. When Aiur was rocked by a series of violent psionic storms, the Conclave was shocked that the Templar had not destroyed the rogues, but knew that it would be forced to publicly admit their existence if it punished Adun for insubordination. The Conclave decided to banish the rogues from Aiur. This act earned them the hatred of the Dark Templar.[1]
The Zerg Invasion[]
When Executor Tassadar brought a number of zerg probes to Aiur in 2499, the Conclave referred to the terrans as "worthless" and argued that if they had already been infested, they were to be purified. Upon hearing that Chau Sara had been infested, the Conclave immediately ordered Tassadar to burn it. They then ordered Tassadar to investigate and purify the colony of Mar Sara, and to destroy any planet in terran space infested by the zerg to quell their taint.[1]
The Conclave bade Tassadar to return to Aiur after the fall of Tarsonis.[9] They hoped to humiliate him for violating their orders, and likely execute him. However, the call of the infestation of Sarah Kerrigan compelled him to only recall part of his fleet, taking the Gantrithor to Char.[3]
After the zerg invasion of Aiur in 2500, the Conclave dictated that the first priority was to strengthen their defenses.[10] They stripped Tassadar of his rank, and appointed the young Artanis as the new executor.[11] They reinforced the provinces of Antioch[12] and Scion,[13] and attempted an ill-fated attack on one of the zerg's cerebrates.[14]
The Conclave became convinced that its stratagems were winning the war against the zerg after the destruction of the hive cluster near Scion, in spite of their defeat at Antioch and the fall of Praetor Fenix. Turning their attention to personal matters, they ordered Judicator Aldaris and Executor Artanis to find and arrest Tassadar and bring him to Aiur to stand trial for treason.[15] However, Artanis violated the Conclave's orders, and instead opted to help Tassadar retrieve the Dark Prelate Zeratul. By this action, the Conclave condemned Artanis and the Templar that followed him.[5]
The Conclave branded Tassadar a traitor upon Aldaris's return to Aiur, demanding the arrest of Tassadar and execution of Zeratul and his Conclave. However, in a brutal counterattack Zeratul, Artanis, Tassadar, the dragoon-implanted Fenix and the terran Jim Raynor attacked the Conclave's forces. In a fierce battle, Tassadar ordered the Heart of the Conclave destroyed,[5] killing many members of the Conclave,[3] but Tassadar, unable to handle protoss slaughtering protoss, surrendered and was taken into custody.[16] They placed him in a stasis cell and arranged for his execution, when the cell was attacked by Fenix, Artanis, and Jim Raynor.[17] The Conclave warped in a contingent of forces to quell the situation, but they found themselves surrounded due to the intervention of Dark Prelate Zeratul.[18]
The Conclave witnessed as Dark Prelate Zeratul assassinated two of the Overmind's cerebrates. They sent Aldaris to admit that they had been in error in their persecution of Tassadar and the dark templar.[19]
Destruction and Legacy[]
By the Brood War, the Conclave had been wiped out.[20] The Hierarchy was regarded as its successive body.[8]
Despite its destruction, the Conclave's military leaders are still present in the protoss's forces and remain loyal to the Daelaam.[21]
Known Members[]
Notes[]
- The end of the Conclave differs between sources. The mission "Eye of the Storm" in StarCraft establishes that the Conclave still existed by the end of the Great War.[22] StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Twilight however claims that Tassadar slew all of the Conclave's members.[3]
- In early drafts of the story of StarCraft, the Conclave was initially named the Enclave.[23] In the StarCraft beta, it was referred to as "the Council."[24]
References[]
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| Dominant Protoss Government | ||
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| Preceded By | Duration | Succeeded By |
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None |
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