Uraj Crystal
the sacred khaydarin shard
The Uraj is a sacred protoss khaydarin crystal left behind on the world once called Khyrador. With its counterpart, the Khalis, it was used to activate the xel'naga temple on Shakuras during the Brood War.
The Uraj is a khaydarin crystal shard held sacred by the protoss. Its counterpart is the Khalis, the crystal tied to the Nerazim. Together the two crystals served as the keys that activated the xel'naga temple on Shakuras during the Brood War. (StarCraft: Brood War)
Origin and guardianship#
The games say little about where the Uraj came from. During the Brood War, Zeratul told Kerrigan that the world where it lay had long ago been a protoss colony called Khyrador, and that the planet and the crystal were abandoned when the strife between the protoss tribes escalated. (StarCraft: Brood War)
Blizzard's planetary profile of Braxis, as Khyrador later became, gives a different cause. It says the world was home to the Uraj during the golden age of protoss expansion and was abandoned when a series of violent psionic storms rocked the planet and drove the protoss settlers away. (Koprulu Sector Systems: Braxis)
The Brood War#
During the Brood War, the Uraj was recovered by Sarah Kerrigan together with a protoss army led by Praetor Artanis and Dark Prelate Zeratul. They overcame the Terran Dominion defenses guarding it and sent in a probe to gather the crystal. (StarCraft: Brood War)
The protoss returned with both crystals to Shakuras. Artanis carried the Uraj into the xel'naga temple and inserted it into the structure's mechanisms. The temple's activation created a giant energy burst that scoured the zerg from the planet. (StarCraft: Brood War)
The End War#
During the End War, as Artanis made preparations to overload the xel'naga temple of Shakuras, he lamented that the protoss no longer had access to the Uraj or Khalis crystals, the absence of which lengthened the temple's configuration procedures. (StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Uraj crystal?
- The Uraj is a khaydarin crystal shard held sacred by the protoss. It was left behind when the protoss abandoned their colony on Khyrador, the world later known as Braxis, and was recovered during the Brood War to help activate the xel'naga temple on Shakuras.
- Why was the Uraj crystal on Braxis?
- Zeratul explained that Braxis had long ago been a protoss colony called Khyrador, and that the planet and the Uraj were abandoned when the strife between the protoss tribes escalated. Blizzard's planetary profile of Braxis instead blames violent psionic storms that drove the settlers away.
- How was the Uraj crystal used during the Brood War?
- Sarah Kerrigan, along with a protoss army led by Praetor Artanis and Dark Prelate Zeratul, recovered the Uraj from Terran Dominion defenders. Artanis then carried it into the xel'naga temple on Shakuras and inserted it into the structure, and the temple's activation scoured the zerg from the planet.
- What happened to the Uraj crystal by the time of the End War?
- By the End War the protoss no longer had access to the Uraj or the Khalis. As Artanis prepared to overload the xel'naga temple of Shakuras, he lamented that the absence of the crystals lengthened the temple's configuration procedures.
Sources
- GameStarCraft: Brood War, Blizzard Entertainment, 1998
- GameStarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, Blizzard Entertainment, 2015
- WebKoprulu Sector Systems: Braxis, Blizzard Entertainment, 2010
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Khalis Crystal
The Khalis is a khaydarin crystal shard cut by the xel'naga and entrusted to the Sargas Tribe, infused over time with Nerazim energies and carried into exile by the Dark Templar. With its Khalai counterpart, the Uraj, it activated the xel'naga temple on Shakuras during the Brood War.
End War: Amon's crusade on the galaxy
The resurrected xel'naga Amon corrupted the Khala and cost the protoss both Aiur and Shakuras. Kerrigan, remade as a xel'naga, killed him in the Void.
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.
Brood War: Kerrigan's war for the Swarm
The Brood War was a zerg civil war between Kerrigan and the cerebrate Daggoth over who would succeed the Overmind. The UED invaded from Earth at the same time.
Dark Templar (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.
Mentioned in3 entries
Khalis Crystal
The Khalis is a khaydarin crystal shard cut by the xel'naga and entrusted to the Sargas Tribe, infused over time with Nerazim energies and carried into exile by the Dark Templar. With its Khalai counterpart, the Uraj, it activated the xel'naga temple on Shakuras during the Brood War.
Probe: the Protoss Worker Drone of StarCraft
The probe is the small robotic drone the protoss use to gather resources and warp in their buildings. It was built by the Khalai for worlds too dangerous for living workers, and it has served every protoss faction since the Second Age.
StarCraft Story Explained: StarCraft and Brood War
The whole story of the original StarCraft and its expansion, campaign by campaign. Mengsk betrays Kerrigan, the Overmind remakes her as the Queen of Blades, Tassadar dies killing it, and in Brood War Kerrigan beats everyone.
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