Khalai

The Khalai were the protoss who followed the Khala, the great psionic gestalt that bound their minds together. They were alternatively referred to as the "Aiur protoss" or, confusingly, as "Templar," as a means of distinguishing them from other protoss kindreds such as the Nerazim. They are not to be confused with the Khalai Caste, the worker class of the Protoss Empire. The Khala brought the Khalai out of the Aeon of Strife and led in time to the foundation of the Protoss Empire, and the kindred remained the people most often associated with the protoss race as a whole.

Origins and the Protoss Empire#

The Khala brought the protoss out of the Aeon of Strife and in time led to the foundation of the Protoss Empire. While the Dark Templar refused to submit to the Khala and were banished from Aiur as a result, the Khalai remained united and at relative peace. With their highly advanced technology and potent psionic abilities, the Khalai long considered themselves the most powerful species in the known galaxy.

The Brood War and the flight to Shakuras#

After the fall of Aiur, the Khalai, now refugees, fled the planet en masse to Shakuras, the adopted homeworld of the Dark Templar, and cooperated with them against the zerg. Their arrival was not without conflict. A legion of Khalai followed Judicator Aldaris in a revolt against Matriarch Raszagal, a revolt swiftly put down when Dark Prelate Zeratul, Praetor Artanis, and Sarah Kerrigan returned. In turn, the Khalai were the subject of much hatred from the Fist of Ulrezaj, a dark templar extremist group seeking to remove them from Shakuras.

In the aftermath of the Brood War, Hierarch Artanis struggled to keep the protoss a unified people, but deep-rooted tensions between the Khalai and the Dark Templar drove a return to tribalism. While the Nerazim were welcoming of the Khalai at first, Khalai demands for resources soon stirred resentment among their hosts. By 2505, Khalai culture was in a state of flux, in part due to the loss of their caste system.

The End War and the loss of the Khala#

The reclamation of Aiur was the one common goal both Nerazim and Khalai possessed, and to that end Hierarch Artanis led the Golden Armada in an effort to reclaim the protoss homeworld. The invasion was thrown into chaos by the revealed presence of Amon, who corrupted the Khala and possessed all of the Khalai connected to it. A number of Khalai escaped Aiur on the Spear of Adun after severing their nerve appendages, as did those already aboard. During the conflict, Artanis ordered the end of the Khalai's caste system. By the end of the war the remaining Khalai were freed from Amon's corruption, and they returned to Aiur alongside the Nerazim, the Purifiers, and some Tal'darim to forge a new, unified protoss society.

Even years after Amon's fall, reconstruction proved a struggle. The Khalai grasped for purpose without the Khala or the caste system, many finding themselves isolated and lacking direction. Wanting to distract themselves from the horrors of their era, the Khalai turned their art and culture back toward the Golden Age of Expansion, a shift that drew offense from the Nerazim, who saw the changes imposed on shared designs as an affront. Despite the tensions, efforts were made over time to heal the wounds between the two kindreds.

Culture#

The Khala was the defining trait of Khalai culture. The Khalai were more demonstrative than the Nerazim in their display of emotions, yet their culture was more monolithic, placing heavy emphasis on collectivism and conformity. The concept of family did not exist among the Khalai in the same manner as it did for terrans or the Nerazim, though warrior Khalai often called other members of their kindred "brother" as a sign of familiarity and respect, and familial units did exist among the Khalai Caste. Because of the emotional connection the Khala provided, the Khalai found it difficult, though not impossible, to hate one another, and all castes were taught to dominate their emotions even under great stress, since emotional instability could cause the Khala to grow unruly.

The caste system once ensured that a Khalai was fated to remain in the caste into which they were born. With its end, Artanis declared that a Khalai could aspire to whatever position they desired and be judged by their deeds rather than their standing, though many fell back on the ways they had grown up with. Prior to the Great War, Khalai under 300 years of age rarely held significant political positions, and Artanis, 262 years old at the time, was considered young despite his powerful military rank. Female Khalai rarely attained positions of power, were rare among the Templar Caste, and were never part of the Conclave. The Khalai predominantly possessed blue eyes, and their religious principles included Dae'Uhl, the "Great Stewardship," and the Khala itself, the "Path of Ascension."

If the Khalai had a weakness, it was their difficulty in accepting change. The tenets of the Khala formed a rigid path that the Khalai were loath to deviate from for fear of losing all they had built. Since the disbandment of the Conclave and the formation of the Hierarchy, some Khalai came to accept the Nerazim as their kin, though old hatreds still remained beneath the surface.