Slayn
Tal'darim Bladeworld
Slayn was the capital world of the Tal'darim, a dark and storm-wracked planet rich in the sacred gas terrazine. Once a jungle world, it became a barren bladeworld where the Tal'darim communed with Amon and waged the rite of Rak'Shir along the Chain of Ascension.
Slayn was the capital world, or bladeworld, of the Tal'darim, the fanatical protoss followers of the Xel'Naga Amon. It was a dark world with a harsh environment, possessing a dry, hot climate and deadly storms, and it was rich with terrazine, a gas sacred to the Tal'darim that allowed them to commune with Amon in the Void. At night the planet released a terrazine fog in cycles, a fog that had killed off its jungles. For centuries the Tal'darim were centered on Slayn, and there they invoked the rite of Rak'Shir to ascend the Chain of Ascension.
A jungle world transformed#
Slayn was once a jungle world, before it was settled by the Tal'darim. After their arrival, eruptions of terrazine gas from the planet's crust killed off the jungles, but the same gas allowed the Tal'darim to pierce the veil between dimensions and commune with their god Amon. For centuries the Tal'darim were centered on this world, and there they invoked the rite of Rak'Shir, the ritual combat by which a challenger could ascend the Chain of Ascension that ordered Tal'darim society.
The climate of Slayn was as merciless as the Tal'darim themselves. Terrazine exposure had left the once-verdant world barren and brutal, dry and hot, with deadly storms that roared across its surface. The storms were titanic in size and commonly included pockets of intense cold and large twisters. At night the planet released its terrazine fog in cycles.
Alarak and the Chain of Ascension#
Alarak was part of the Tal'darim on Slayn, holding the rank of Fourth Ascendant, when First Ascendant Nuroka ordered him to help overthrow Highlord Ma'lash. Nuroka had come to see that Amon cared little for the Tal'darim. Alarak entered the Rak'Shir between Nuroka and Ma'lash, but at the last moment sided with the Highlord, killing Nuroka and becoming First Ascendant himself.
The End War#
During the End War, Alarak set in motion his plan to take revenge on Amon, allying with Hierarch Artanis and the Daelaam and leading them to Slayn. Alarak deceived Artanis into slaying Ma'lash's guardians, then challenged Ma'lash to Rak'Shir. Though unhappy at having been deceived, Artanis committed his forces to aid Alarak, fighting through Ma'lash's forces and hybrid allies to give the challenger the upper hand. Alarak eventually bested Ma'lash and cast him into the Pits of Ascension. He ascended as Highlord of the Tal'darim and committed them to the fight against Amon in revenge for the god's betrayal.
After Alarak's ascension, a splinter group of Tal'darim still loyal to Amon challenged First Ascendant Ji'nara to Rak'Shir, but she was able to maintain her position on the Chain of Ascension. Following Amon's destruction, Alarak abandoned Slayn and left to find a new homeworld for the Tal'darim. Among the known locations on the planet were the Pits of Ascension, Traitor's Exile, and Winter's Gate.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Slayn in StarCraft?
- Slayn was the capital world, or bladeworld, of the Tal'darim, the fanatical protoss followers of the Xel'Naga Amon. It was a dark world with a dry, hot climate and deadly storms, rich with the sacred gas terrazine.
- Why was Slayn a barren world?
- Slayn was once a jungle world before the Tal'darim settled it. After their arrival, eruptions of terrazine gas from the planet's crust killed off the jungles, though the same gas let the Tal'darim pierce the veil between dimensions and commune with Amon.
- Why is terrazine important to the Tal'darim on Slayn?
- Terrazine was a gas sacred to the Tal'darim that allowed them to commune with Amon in the Void. At night the planet released a terrazine fog in cycles.
- How did Alarak become Highlord on Slayn?
- During the End War, Alarak led Hierarch Artanis and the Daelaam to Slayn and deceived Artanis into slaying Ma'lash's guardians. Alarak then challenged Highlord Ma'lash to the rite of Rak'Shir, cast him into the Pits of Ascension, and ascended as Highlord himself.
- What happened to Slayn after Amon's destruction?
- Following Amon's destruction, Alarak abandoned Slayn and left to find a new homeworld for the Tal'darim.
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Related entries
Alarak
Alarak was the highlord of the Tal'darim, once First Ascendant in the Chain of Ascension under Ma'lash. A master manipulator who turned his people against Amon after the Dark God betrayed them, he allied with the Daelaam, overthrew Ma'lash in Rak'Shir, and led the Tal'darim on a path of conquest.
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.
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.
End War
The End War was the galaxy-wide crusade waged by the fallen xel'naga Amon after his resurrection. It saw the corruption of the Khala, the fall of Aiur and Shakuras, the unification of the protoss under Artanis, and the final destruction of Amon in the Void by Sarah Kerrigan.
Tal'darim
The Tal'darim were a warlike sect of protoss taken from Aiur by Amon before the Aeon of Strife. Calling themselves the Forged and the Chosen, they spent ages worshipping the fallen xel'naga as their god until Highlord Alarak turned them against him.
Tal'darim: the fanatical protoss sect of Amon
The Tal'darim, known as the Forged or the Chosen, were a fanatical and warlike sect of protoss taken from Aiur by Amon before the Aeon of Strife, who served the fallen xel'naga for ages before Highlord Alarak turned them against him.
Mentioned in11 entries
Alarak
Alarak was the highlord of the Tal'darim, once First Ascendant in the Chain of Ascension under Ma'lash. A master manipulator who turned his people against Amon after the Dark God betrayed them, he allied with the Daelaam, overthrew Ma'lash in Rak'Shir, and led the Tal'darim on a path of conquest.
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.
Hybrid Reaver
The hybrid reaver was an extremely powerful zerg-based hybrid, capable of basic speech and able to exert mind control over zerg and terrans alike. It served as a staple of Amon's hybrid armies throughout the End War.
Karax
Karax was a Khalai phase-smith and one of the most precise of protoss engineers. Over the war against Amon he rose above his worker origins to command the Spear of Adun's systems, was named a templar in defiance of the caste system, and helped build the means of Amon's defeat.
Keystone
The Keystone, also known as the xel'naga artifact, was an ancient relic that could channel and redistribute energy, matter, essence, and consciousness. A major catalyst of the Second Great War, it de-infested the Queen of Blades, was twisted toward Amon's resurrection, and was finally used to banish him.
Observer
The observer was a small, stealthy robotic protoss reconnaissance drone, built to survey space, record events for the protoss archives, and reveal what was hidden. Cloaked and fragile, it was prized as much for what it could see as for what it could not be seen doing.
Spear of Adun
The Spear of Adun was a protoss arkship, built during the Golden Age of Expansion to preserve protoss civilization through a great calamity and buried beneath Aiur for a time of need. Raised by Hierarch Artanis, it became the flagship of the Daelaam in the End War against Amon.
Tal'darim
The Tal'darim were a warlike sect of protoss taken from Aiur by Amon before the Aeon of Strife. Calling themselves the Forged and the Chosen, they spent ages worshipping the fallen xel'naga as their god until Highlord Alarak turned them against him.
Tal'darim: the fanatical protoss sect of Amon
The Tal'darim, known as the Forged or the Chosen, were a fanatical and warlike sect of protoss taken from Aiur by Amon before the Aeon of Strife, who served the fallen xel'naga for ages before Highlord Alarak turned them against him.
Talandar
Talandar was a protoss purifier built from a brain scan of the Templar hero Fenix. Awakened during the End War believing himself to be Fenix, he came to accept that he was a separate being and chose his own name, becoming a leader among the purifiers of the Daelaam.
Terrazine
Terrazine was a potent psionic reagent of Void origin, sought by protoss, zerg, and terrans alike. The Tal'darim revered it as a sacred gift from the xel'naga, while terran researchers used it to forge the unstable psychics known as spectres, at terrible cost to the minds of those exposed to it.
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