Conclave
the ruling elders of the Protoss Empire
The Conclave was a small body of Judicator elders that ruled the Protoss Empire from Aiur. Conservative and secretive, it banished the Dark Templar, enslaved the Purifiers, and was destroyed during the zerg invasion.
The Conclave was a small group of elders that ruled over the Judicator Assembly and, through it, the Protoss Empire on Aiur. Chosen for their wisdom and orthodoxy in relation to the Khala, its members governed conservatively and secretively, shaping the course of protoss history through decisions that included the banishment of the Dark Templar, the creation and enslavement of the Purifiers, and the prosecution of Executor Tassadar during the zerg invasion.
Organization#
The Conclave was a group of elders chosen for their wisdom and their orthodoxy in relation to the Khala. The Ara Tribe controlled who presided within the Conclave, maintaining the power within the Judicator caste, and the Ara also commanded the khalen'ri Praetor Guard, the personal guard and enforcement arm of the Conclave. Female members were a rarity later in the Protoss Empire, to the point that some among the other castes were unaware they existed, though female Judicators did sit on the Conclave.
At least one preserver was always on hand at the Conclave during its existence. Though preservers were utterly forbidden from serving on the Conclave, respected preservers had its ear and could often shape policy through their advice. The Conclave convened at the Khor-shakal, the Great Forum, also known as the Heart of the Conclave.
Early history#
The Conclave was formed during the Second Age of the Protoss Empire. Early on it forbade entry into the xel'naga caverns where Khas rediscovered the protoss psionic link, and it hid the discovery of a xel'naga ship from protoss society while allowing limited, controlled access to reverse-engineer its technologies. The Conclave directed that all texts and artifacts from the Aeon of Strife be sealed away on the xel'naga archive world of Zhakul, entrusted to a trio of preservers.
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 Empire. The preservers, foreseeing that the protoss would throw the arkships against any threat while they remained in use, swayed the Conclave to seal them in stasis beneath Aiur, to be awoken only when the Empire stood on the brink of collapse.
The Purifiers and the Dark Templar#
The Purifiers were built under the direct order of the Conclave to be an ultimate fighting force, replicated from the greatest warriors in protoss history through the belief that consciousness could be turned into data. The Conclave did not treat the Purifiers with the respect afforded regular Templar, regarding them as little more than slaves. The Purifiers eventually rebelled and killed their masters, and the Conclave, deeming them too dangerous, banned them and launched them away aboard the vessel Cybros.
The Conclave also kept secret the existence of a group of rogue protoss who refused to submit to the Khala, fearing their aberrant influence might spread through society. It ordered Executor Adun to eradicate them, but when Adun instead protected the rogues and violent psionic storms revealed his disobedience, the Conclave chose to banish the rogues from Aiur rather than publicly admit their existence. This act earned the Conclave the lasting hatred of the Dark Templar.
The zerg invasion and destruction#
When Executor Tassadar encountered the zerg in 2499, the Conclave ordered him to burn the infested world of Chau Sara and to destroy any planet in terran space tainted by the Swarm. After the fall of Tarsonis, the Conclave bade Tassadar return to Aiur, hoping to humiliate and likely execute him for disobeying their orders. Following the zerg invasion of Aiur in 2500, the Conclave stripped Tassadar of his rank and appointed the young Artanis as the new executor.
Convinced its strategies were winning the war, the Conclave ordered Aldaris and Artanis to arrest Tassadar, but Artanis instead helped Tassadar retrieve the Dark Prelate Zeratul, and the Conclave condemned them both. When the Conclave branded Tassadar a traitor and demanded the execution of Zeratul, a coalition of Zeratul, Artanis, Tassadar, the dragoon-implanted Fenix, and the terran Jim Raynor attacked the Conclave's forces. Tassadar ordered the Heart of the Conclave destroyed, killing many of its members. The Conclave was eventually wiped out and succeeded by the Hierarchy, though its military leaders survived to remain loyal to the Daelaam.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Conclave?
- The Conclave was a small group of Judicator elders that ruled over the Judicator Assembly and, through it, the Protoss Empire on Aiur. Its members were chosen for their wisdom and orthodoxy in relation to the Khala, and they governed conservatively and secretively.
- Who controlled the Conclave?
- The Ara Tribe controlled who presided within the Conclave, maintaining power within the Judicator caste. The Ara also commanded the khalen'ri Praetor Guard, which served as the Conclave's personal guard and enforcement arm.
- Why did the Dark Templar hate the Conclave?
- The Conclave kept secret the existence of rogue protoss who refused to submit to the Khala and ordered Executor Adun to eradicate them. When Adun instead protected the rogues, the Conclave chose to banish them from Aiur rather than publicly admit their existence, an act that earned the Conclave the lasting hatred of the Dark Templar.
- What were the Purifiers and how did the Conclave treat them?
- The Purifiers were built under the direct order of the Conclave to be an ultimate fighting force, replicated from the greatest warriors in protoss history. The Conclave regarded them as little more than slaves, and after the Purifiers rebelled and killed their masters, the Conclave banned them and launched them away aboard the vessel Cybros.
- What happened to the Conclave during the zerg invasion?
- The Conclave clashed with Executor Tassadar, stripping him of his rank and branding him a traitor for allying with the Dark Templar. When a coalition of Tassadar, Zeratul, Artanis, Fenix, and Jim Raynor attacked the Conclave's forces, Tassadar ordered the Heart of the Conclave destroyed, and the Conclave was eventually wiped out and succeeded by the Hierarchy.
Sources
- WikiConclave — StarCraft Wiki entry
- WikiJudicator — StarCraft Wiki entry
- WikiTassadar — StarCraft Wiki entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Related entries
Daelaam
The Daelaam was the unified protoss government that bound the Khalai, Nerazim, Purifiers, and some Tal'darim together after the fall of Aiur, led by Hierarch Artanis through the End War against Amon and the reclamation of their homeworld.
Nerazim
The Nerazim, known to outsiders as the Dark Templar, are the protoss tribes who shunned the Khala, severed their nerve cords, and drew their power from the Void instead. Banished from Aiur, they became masters of shadow and exile before reuniting with their kin under the Daelaam.
Protoss
The protoss are an ancient, psionically gifted humanoid species native to Aiur, uplifted by the xel'naga and bound together by the Khala. Among the three dominant species of the galaxy, they are the most technologically advanced, and the most divided by their own history.
Adun
Adun was a revered protoss executor of the Discord who secretly sheltered the rogue tribes the Conclave ordered him to execute. He burned away saving them as they were exiled, leaving no body behind, and passed into protoss legend as the Twilight Deliverer.
Aeon of Strife
The Aeon of Strife was a millennia-long civil war among the protoss, called the bloodiest civil war in galactic history. It followed the departure of the xel'naga and the loss of the protoss psychic link, and ended when the scholar Khas rediscovered the khaydarin crystals and founded the Khala.
Aiur
Aiur was the homeworld of the protoss, a verdant world on the galactic fringe engineered by the Xel'Naga and seat of the Protoss Empire. It was overrun by the zerg in 2500 and reclaimed by the Daelaam after the defeat of Amon.
Mentioned in38 entries
Adun
Adun was a revered protoss executor of the Discord who secretly sheltered the rogue tribes the Conclave ordered him to execute. He burned away saving them as they were exiled, leaving no body behind, and passed into protoss legend as the Twilight Deliverer.
Aiur
Aiur was the homeworld of the protoss, a verdant world on the galactic fringe engineered by the Xel'Naga and seat of the Protoss Empire. It was overrun by the zerg in 2500 and reclaimed by the Daelaam after the defeat of Amon.
Aldaris
Aldaris was a Khalai protoss of the Judicator Caste, a fierce believer in the Khala who judged others by a strict reading of its tenets. He served as advisor to the executors during the Great War and died exposing Sarah Kerrigan's corruption of Matriarch Raszagal on Shakuras.
Artanis
Artanis was the Hierarch of the Daelaam, a renowned warrior who rose from executor during the zerg invasion of Aiur to lead the reunited protoss. He forged the Khalai and Nerazim into one people, reclaimed Aiur, and led the alliance that banished Amon from the Khala.
Colossus
The colossus was a towering protoss robotic walker built purely for war, dating back to the Kalath Intercession. Outlawed by the Conclave after the slaughter of the kalathi, it was unearthed and returned to service against the zerg and became, to the Terran Dominion, a symbol of the protoss themselves.
Cybros
Cybros was the home warship and space platform of the Purifiers, a command vessel held in stasis above the moon Endion until Artanis reactivated its robotic warriors during the war against Amon.
Eye of the Storm
Eye of the Storm was the final battle of the Great War, in which a combined protoss and terran force struck at the Overmind in its nesting ground on Aiur. Executor Tassadar sacrificed himself by driving the Gantrithor into the creature while channeling dark templar energy, destroying the Overmind and setting the stage for the Brood War.
Fall of Aiur
The Fall of Aiur was the zerg invasion of the protoss homeworld during the Great War, fought at the same time as the Protoss Civil War. Tassadar destroyed the Overmind, but the Swarm had already claimed too much of Aiur, killing seventy percent of the protoss and forcing the survivors to abandon their world.
Fenix
Fenix was a protoss zealot and praetor of the Protoss Defense Forces, one of the most celebrated warriors in protoss history. He fell at Antioch and was reborn in a dragoon shell, died again to Kerrigan's betrayal on Korhal, and was later replicated as the purifier Talandar.
Glassing
Glassing, also called planet cracking or purification, was a protoss war technique used to destroy all life on a planetary surface, usually to eradicate the zerg. Carried out by ships firing massive energy beams, it could disperse a world's atmosphere and burn through its crust.
Grand Preserver
The Grand Preservers were the highest of the protoss preservers, rare Khalai who held the memories of every protoss ever joined to the Khala. They advised the Conclave, urged the building of the arkships, and in Grand Preserver Rohana survived to guide the reclamation of Aiur.
Great Fleet
The Great Fleet was the principal military space force of the protoss, the fleet that carried their power across the stars. Built around the carrier and tended by the Auriga Tribe, it was shattered in the fall of Aiur and rebuilt over the wars that followed.
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