"Executor, I am Artanis. Though I have only recently been appointed Praetor, you can trust that I will uphold the honor and traditions of the Templar."
Artanis harbors a deep respect and admiration for Tassadar. He hopes to become as great a leader as Tassadar; a path which, although noble, could cause him to forsake his better judgement.[5]
One such world was Dannuth VII, inhabited by a race called the tagal. Fenix and Artanis led their forces against them and although the protoss were outnumbered 30:1, they still emerged victorious.[9][10]
Enter the Zerg
"En Taro Adun, Executor. I am JudicatorAldaris, and I have been sent by the Conclave to serve and counsel you. The former Executor, Tassadar, was commanded to halt the Zerg progress in the Terran sector by burning the infested human worlds. Unfortunately, he disregarded his orders and attempted to destroy the Zerg while sparing the Terrans from the flame. Clearly, Tassadar has failed us. You must not."
Artanis was appointed to the position of executor[4] during the zerg invasion of Aiur, following the apparent defection of the previous executor, Tassadar, to the Dark Templar. To this end, he began by fortifying the base at Antioch, once again serving alongside Fenix. Antioch was held against the zerg and a successful counter attack was made.[11]
Artanis' actions pleased his superior, JudicatorAldaris, restoring his faith in the Templar Caste.[12] An interruption by Tassadar however, sending his thoughts from the planet Char, was not so pleasing. Regardless, Tassadar spoke of what he had learned from the Dark Templar, how striking down the cerebrates was the key to winning the war against the zerg. Aldaris decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, though Tassadar maintained that he would remain on Char for the time being, returning when the time was right.[1][13]
Putting Tassadar's suggestion into action, Artanis and his forces held the line against the zerg while Fenix moved his own forces into position for an assault on the Baelrog Brood's cerebrate. In this, he was successful, penetrating the hive cluster and striking down the cerebrate.[13] However, after staying behind to observe the brood's actions, Fenix reported that the cerebrate had reincarnated, having seen it with his own eyes, driving its forces forward for the next offensive.[14]
Seething at Tassadar's apparent treachery, Aldaris ordered Artanis to reclaim the province of Scion from the zerg, while Fenix remained behind at Antioch to guard against counterattack. While Artanis was successful in taking back the province, Antioch came under heavy attack in the meantime, Fenix falling in the assault.[15]
Heresy
"The tenor of your thoughts is different, but I sense no evil about you. And your devotion to our world and our people is as strong as ever. I shall trust in your wisdom, noble Tassadar. I shall be as you wish."
In the wake of the recent victories against the zerg, Artanis was tasked with finding Tassadar and bringing him back to Aiur to face justice and grieved for the loss of Fenix. Upon encountering Tassadar (and his new human companions) after barely rescuing them from a zerg attack led by Infested Kerrigan, it was clear that he was not the heretic that the Conclave made him out to be. Defying Aldaris, Artanis decided to give Tassadar the benefit of the doubt, agreeing to help him rescue Zeratul and his band of Dark Templar.[16] Battling against the zerg and even Terran Dominion forces,[17] the Dark Templar were successfully rescued.[18] They agreed to return to Aiur.[19]
Upon returning to Aiur, Artanis and company received welcome from Fenix, whose body had been recovered from Antioch and implanted inside a dragoon exoskeleton.[20] The response of the Conclave however, was hostile, surrounding the landing zone with the Vanguard of Aiur and ordering them to stand down and surrender the Dark Templar for execution. Initially, Tassadar was willing to battle against the Vanguard of Aiur, Artanis following suit.[21] However, unable to stomach his people slaughtering themselves in battle, Tassadar surrendered himself to the Conclave, granting his followers some respite.[22]
Artanis and Fenix were left without Tassadar to guide them, and Zeratul and his Dark Templar had disappeared.[23] However, with the aid of the terranJim Raynor in the Hyperion, they were able to rescue Tassadar before he could be executed.[24] In addition, Zeratul returned to the fold, sharing his knowledge of the zerg, of how they too were created by the xel'naga,[25] how they would run rampant throughout the stars if not stopped here and now. It was a task that Artanis was ready to take on.[26]
The Battle for Aiur
"My friends, this is our final hour. Not all of us may survive the coming conflict. Yet, death may be a blessing should we fail here. We seek now to destroy a foe that has ravaged its way across the universe consuming all in its path. And now it has reached the end of its long journey. The Overmind has come to destroy all that we hold dear and assimilate us into itself. And I say to thee, this shall not come to pass! Aiur shall not fall! Executor, I stand ready!"
To clear a path to the Overmind, its defenses had to be thinned. Fenix proved apt in this, weakening the defenses of the hive cluster, allowing Zeratul to assassinate the cerebrates.[26]
A last, final assault on the Overmind was thus made ready, the Templar Caste and Dark Templar, alongside Raynor's Raiders, pooling together their forces. With the Conclave's blessings, Artanis, Raynor and Tassadar led their forces against the Overmind and its minions. In the end, though the Overmind was weakened, so too were those who assaulted it. Giving Artanis his blessings,[27] Tassadar guided his carrier, the Gantrithor, on a collision course at the creature, destroying both it and himself in a burst of Dark Templar energy.[28]
As the chaotic, swirling energies subsided, a heavy silence settled over the battlefields of Aiur. Due to Tassadar's sacrifice, the Overmind was now dead and the Zerg Swarms were scattered and broken. However, like those around him, Artanis knew that victory had cost them all but their lives.[29]
Artanis oversaw the evacuation of refugees through the warp gate to Shakuras and their defense from accompanying zerg until Dark Templar reinforcements arrived.[30] The evacuation was a success but Raynor and Fenix were forced to remain on Aiur to close the gate and ensure no further zerg followed. Artanis promised to send as many troops as could be spared back to Aiur before the gate closed.[31]
Upon meeting the MatriarchRaszagal and learning of the xel'naga temple, Artanis was very enthusiastic about retrieving the Uraj and Khalis crystals in order to activate it. However, Raszagal wanted the zerg scoured from the temple grounds first.
Afterward, Sarah Kerrigan appeared and made her introduction to the protoss leaders.[32] While Raszagal welcomed her, Artanis said he could not forget her crimes against his race.
Quest for the Crystals
Artanis stands tall
Artanis, Zeratul, Kerrigan and the Executor departed for the planet Braxis, where the Uraj was located. Overcoming damage to their warp matrix, which prevented Artanis' forces from summoning stargates, the protoss defeated the Terran Dominion forces there and recovered the crystal.[33]
When the protoss tried to leave Braxis, however, they meet a surprise: the United Earth Directorate. Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov had constructed a series of missile turrets on a space platform over Braxis, which would prevent the protoss from escaping. Stukov demanded the surrender of the protoss.[34]
Artanis was incensed at Stukov's attitude and unimpressed by the arrayed UED forces. Zeratul cautioned against underestimating the enemy.[35] Artanis led the protoss breakout from the front in his scout. However, the assault bogged down as the UED defended the fusion reactors which powered the turrets, with Zeratul dispatching reinforcements when necessary. With this aid, Artanis destroyed the fusion reactors, shutting down the turrets, allowing the escape of the protoss.[34]
Artanis' next destination was Char, home of the new Overmind and the location of the Khalis Crystal. Unfortunately, the new Overmind had nestled very close to the Khalis, requiring the protoss to fight their way past a large number of zerg in order to recover the crystal.[36]
Kerrigan and Artanis both proposed ways of recovering the crystal. Kerrigan suggested striking hard and fast so as to fight their way through the defenses and escape with the crystal, while Artanis suggested doing enough superficial damage to the Overmind to temporarily pacify the nearby zerg -- the new Overmind was still in its infant stage, and it's control over the zerg was still weak. Kerrigan commented that either plan would work.[36] Artanis was humbled when Zeratul compared him to Tassadar for the plan's boldness.[37]
The protoss struck out, assisted by the few zerg Kerrigan was able to wrest control of. The Khalis was secured and Artanis urged a return to Shakuras lest the zerg overwhelm that world in their absence.[36]
Return to Shakuras
Artanis on Shakuras
When Artanis, Zeratul, Kerrigan and the Executor arrived back on Shakuras, they found it in a state of uproar. Raszagal told them that Aldaris, seemingly angered at the abandonment of Aiur, the alliance with the Dark Templar and the acceptance of Kerrigan, had taken control of the Judicator and Templar warriors and was preparing to lead them in an attack against the Matriarch.[38] Aldaris even had archons which he could send against them, which worried Artanis, but Zeratul told him not to worry -- the Dark Templar had archons of their own.[39]
After defeating Aldaris, Artanis and Zeratul confronted him. Artanis tried to persuade Aldaris that Kerrigan had changed, but Aldaris replied that the Matriarch had been manipulated. As Aldaris tried to explain the real reasons behind his revolt, Kerrigan interrupted the conversation by killing Aldaris. Zeratul banished a gloating Kerrigan from Shakuras as a result of her actions.[40] Artanis was disgusted to learn that Kerrigan had been playing them all along and that the protoss had gone along with her game, but had to carry on with the plan to remove the zerg from Shakuras.
Fury of the Xel'Naga
Artanis and Uraj.
When the protoss returned to the xel'naga temple, Artanis personally carried the Uraj;[41] with it, he activated the temple and used its power to eradicate all zerg life on Shakuras.[42]
The Siege of Char
Kerrigan returned to Shakuras, capturing Raszagal[43] and transporting her to Char. The protoss followed. After a brief alliance (resulting in the death of the Overmind)[44] the zerg and protoss began to fight each other.[45] The battle resulted in the death of Raszagal[46] and the destruction of the protoss fleets. Zeratul set out in search of Artanis so they could return to Shakuras and plan their next moves.[47]
Kerrigan's rash attack on the protoss put her in a perilous position; most of her forces had descended to the surface of Char leaving Char Aleph relatively unguarded.[48] Artanis led a fleet to the space platforms, intent on revenge for Kerrigan's actions.[49]
Artanis commanded the assault on Kerrigan's platforms; his forces, along with Emperor Arcturus Mengsk and Admiral Gerard DuGalle of the UED launched a combined assault. However, the alliance crumbled before the might of the Zerg Swarm. "Savor this victory, Kerrigan!" said Artanis as the protoss were defeated, "For the Protoss will never forget your treachery. We shall be watching you."[48] Artanis and the protoss survivors returned to Shakuras to begin rebuilding their once glorious civilization.[50]
Future Imperfect
Artanis participated in a secret mission on Braxis. He called a conference with his old terran comrade Jim Raynor, alerting him to the truth of rumors that Raynor had heard; former United Earth Directorate Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov,[51] who was murdered by former UED agent Samir Duran,[52] had been resurrected and infested by the zerg, specifically by a cerebrate named Kaloth.
Raynor believed Stukov would never "sell out to the zerg" but Artanis warned him that it was very possible. He didn't want to kill Stukov, however; instead, he would employ a new nanotech serum which could reverse the infestation process. He sent Raynor and Praetor Taldarin to the surface of Braxis in order to accomplish the mission. Afterwards, his forces "purified" Braxis,[51] melting its surface which destroyed all life,[7] including both the zerg and the soldiers who defected to Raynor and Taldarin.[51]
Twilight Falls
"For even in these dark days, there is still the hope of morning. That is why we fight."
After the Brood War, Artanis has been named "hierarch", the supreme leader of the reunited Protoss Protectorate, and has been focusing on merging the two sects of protoss society together. Some protoss cannot understand that the Khalai and the Dark Templar are two halves of the same species and are psychologically regressing to a tribal state; Artanis has his hands full trying to prevent this slide into tribalism. His chief assistant is Selendis.[7] He could not count on Zeratul for help as he had not been seen for years.[6][53] In 2502,[54] Artanis oversaw military operations, such as the battle of Artika, where his forces captured a xel'naga temple, at great loss.[55]
In 2503,[54] a group of protoss survivors from Aiur and terranRosemary Dahl arrived on Shakuras through the warp gate. The gate had been redirected as the last of the travelers entered from the Aiur side; Jake Ramsey, a terran archaeologist, "host" to Zamara, a preserver's spirit he was carrying, ended up elsewhere. Zamara was carrying information which was extremely important for the protoss people, and her presence was slowly killing Ramsey. Dahl demanded the protoss help her retrieve them, but they were initially unwilling to trust a terran or risk lives to help her. ExecutorSelendis championed Dahl's cause. She hoped to arrange a private audience with Artanis, but instead the entire Hierarchy arranged to be there. Artanis, while taking the views of the other tribal leaders into account, agreed with Dahl and ordered the launch of a rescue expedition. He allowed Vartanil, a survivor from Aiur and craftsman, to accompany the mission, a wise decision since his skills resulted in the rescue of much knowledge.[2]
"This is Hierarch Artanis, commanding the Shield of Aiur! Our matrix fields are within range! Engaging mass recall! My brethren, hear me, for there is little time left. All that remains of our race, our civilization, are those that stand beside you now. Trust in each other. Strike as one will. Let our last stand burn a memory so bright we will be remembered forever. En taro Tassadar!"
In the early stages of the war, Zeratul sought information on the Dark Voice and the hybrids. He experienced the Overmind's vision of the future and the protoss' last stand on a distant, shadowed world. Artanis would be present at that final battle, commanding the mothership, Shield of Aiur and leading a fleet of protoss ships as well as a ground force. As he died he wondered how the protoss could have known that Kerrigan was the key to stopping Amon and expressed remorse.[57]
In StarCraft: Brood War, the 3D model for the protoss campaign is that of Artanis. In this image, as well as his unit portrait, he is missing his psionic appendages, much like a Dark Templar. However, Artanis is a member of the Templar Caste and his appendages appear in Why We Fight.[55] His portrait in StarCraft II also appears to have nerve cords.[60]
Artanis's unit portrait in Brood War depicts him as having golden eyes.[32] Subsequent sources have depicted him as having blue ones.[1][2][57]
āFenix: "You know, Executor, although we two have marched across hundreds of worlds together, I never imagined that we would be fighting on Aiur. The Zerg are indeed worthy foes." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: First Strike (in English). 1998.
āStarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: First Strike (variant) (in English). 1998. First Strike. Limited Gaming. Accessed 2008-01-18.
āFenix: "Executor, I bring news most dire. The Cerebrate that we thought we had killed has arisen again. The creature's battered form was reincarnated, despite the considerable damage we inflicted upon it. Even now, the Cerebrate drives its Brood in preparation for their next offensive." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Into the Flames (in English). 1998.
āEdmund Duke: "Protoss Commander, this is General Edmund Duke of the Terran Dominion Armada. You are in violation of our air-space and have endangered human lives in your reckless attack against the Zerg. I order you to withdraw your ships immediately. If you fail to comply, I will not hesitate to open fire upon your vessels." Tassadar: "General Duke, I am Tassadar, and you are well known to me. Whatever leniency I extended to you and your comrades before, may have been in error. If you persist in halting our course, we will burn your pathetic fleet down to the last man." Duke: "I'm going to have to assume that was a hostile response..." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Choosing Sides (in English). 1998.
āZeratul: "Greetings to you mighty Tassadar. I knew that you would not forsake us. For in the time that you have spent with us, you have learned to value our ways and our methods. You have learned to channel our dark power as well as that of your masters; thus, you alone have found completeness beyond the scope of the Khala. But I fear that the Conclave, in its pride, could never bring itself to welcome outcasts such as we." Tassadar: "Outcasts though you may be, it is your vision and courage that may yet save our Homeworld from the Swarm. I beg of you, Zeratul, return with us to Aiur. Though they are petty, and have, in ignorance cursed your kind for generations... help me save our people." Zeratul: "Since our banishment long ago, we have never failed in our responsibility to Aiur. Though it shall cause us great pain to see our homeland once more, we shall return with you, Tassadar. We will do what we can." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Into the Darkness (in English). 1998.
āTassadar: "Fenix? It can't be! The Executor told me of how you fell before the Zerg. How is it that you live and breathe?" Fenix: "Ha hah... Well, after my unfortunate defeat, my ruined body was recovered by our brethren. I now reside within the cold, robotic shell of a Dragoon." Tassadar: "Old friend-would that this never came to pass..." Fenix: "Nonsense! There is no shame in defeat so long as the spirit is unconquered, and I am still able to serve Aiur to a degree." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Homeland (in English). 1998.
āBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Homeland (in English). 1998.
āTassadar: "Executor! Aldaris! This madness must stop! The sight of my brethren slaughtering one another is more than I can stand. Though I fear you would doom us all, Aldaris, I surrender myself to the Conclave. En Taro Adun, Executor. Don't give up the fight!" Aldaris: "Tassadar of the Templar, by your actions you have severed yourself from the mercy of your brethren. You refused to destroy the Terran worlds as was commanded. You have questioned time and time again, the sacred will of the Conclave. And you have abandoned your Homeworld in its darkest hour. Most grievous of all is that you have allied yourself with the blasphemous Dark Ones, and learned to utilize their profane powers in tandem with our own! What say you, oh fallen Templar?" Tassadar: "Aldaris, I submit myself to the Conclave's judgment. But know this, given the same choices again, I would surely have made them. I have sacrificed all that our world might live. I have sullied my honor, I have discarded my rank and standing, and I have even broken our own most ancient traditions. But never think that I would, for one moment, regret my actions. For I am Templar, and above all else, I have sworn to Protect our Homeworld 'till the end." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Homeland (in English). 1998.
āFenix: "Zeratul and his Dark Templar have vanished, leaving us to fend for ourselves. I wonder if Tassadar was mistaken to have put his trust in them." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Trial of Tassadar (in English). 1998.
āTassadar: "Zeratul, perhaps the time has come to tell our friends of the foe we face." Zeratul: "Indeed. When I slew the Cerebrate on Char, I touched briefly with the essence of the Overmind. In that instant, my mind was filled with its thoughts, and I tell you now our worst fears have come true. The Zerg were indeed created by the ancient Xel'Naga, the same beings that empowered us in our infancy. But the Overmind grew beyond their constraints, and has at last come to finish the experiments they began so long ago." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Shadow Hunters (in English). 1998.
āJim Raynor: "Executor, my crew and I will remain here on Aiur and shut the gate down on this side. It's the only way to make sure that the Zerg won't send more reinforcements to Shakuras." Artanis: "You will be hopelessly outnumbered, and once the gate is shut down there will be no one to save you should you be overrun." Raynor: "Yeah, well... I'm a man of action. What can I say?" Fenix: "I shall remain with Raynor as well, Executor. My duty is to Aiur, after all." Artanis: "Farewell then, brave warriors. We will send through all the troops we can spare." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Dunes of Shakuras (in English). 1998.
āArtanis: "Have faith, Zeratul! You almost sound as if you fear these humans. What are they to such as we? Was it not we who defeated the dreaded Overmind?" Zeratul: "Yes, Artanis. We did vanquish the Overmind. But we did so with the help of humans. Do not be so quick to underestimate them." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Battle of Braxis (in English). 1998.
āZeratul: "A bold plan, young Artanis. Your courage rivals that of mighty Tassadar himself!" Artanis: "You give me too much credit, noble Zeratul. I am not worthy enough to even speak 'His' name." Sarah Kerrigan: "Touching." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Return to Char (in English). 1998.
āRaszagal: "Congratulations, Executor. Your success has brought us the promise of hope against the Zerg. However, we face a new threat within our own ranks. In your absence, Judicator Aldaris and an entire legion of Khalai survivors from Aiur have begun an open revolt against us." Zeratul: "By the gods, this is ill news indeed! Why would Aldaris betray us so?" Raszagal: "He and his ilk believe that it was wrong to have abandoned Aiur and consorted with our people. Their prejudices have driven them to perpetuate the Conclave's sins against us! Even now, Aldaris and his loyalist templar forces are preparing to attack our Citadel." Artanis: "I can scarcely believe this. As if the Zerg were not enough! Matriarch, are you certain of this?" Raszagal: "All too certain, young templar. Executor, as Matriarch of the Dark Templar and custodian of this world, I hereby order you to terminate Judicator Aldaris, and quell this untimely uprising without delay! There will be no dissent among us while the Zerg are poised to strike!" StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Insurgent (in English). 1998.
āAldaris: "You can no longer afford to be so naive, Artanis. While you were securing the crystals, I discovered that your Matriarch has been harboring a dark secret! She has been manipulated by de-" Kerrigan: "We have no time for this!" Zeratul: "Kerrigan... What have you done?" Kerrigan: "I just cleaned up your mess, Protoss. Don't be so squeamish." Zeratul: "Wretched creature! This was a Protoss matter; you had no right to interfere! Begone from this world! You are no longer welcome among us!" Kerrigan: "Fine. I've done what I came here to do. I've insured the destruction of the renegade Cerebrates, and I used you to do it. Have fun, mighty Protoss... We'll be seeing each other again, real soon..." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Insurgent (in English). 1998.
āZeratul: "Damn you, Kerrigan, for what I must do!" Raszagal: "Thank you, Zeratul... You have freed me from her vile control at last. You have always served me with honor... Thus I must ask you... to watch over my tribe... Into your hands I give the future." Kerrigan: "I can hardly believe this! You've killed your own Matriarch!" Zeratul: "Better that I killed her, than let her live as your slave, Kerrigan." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Reckoning (in English). 1998.
āArtanis: "Kerrigan, this is Artanis. My brethren and I have come to avenge the deaths of Fenix, the Matriarch, and all of the other Protoss who fell before the Swarm! It is long past time you paid for your crimes against our people." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Omega (in English). 1998.
āSamir Duran: "Vice Admiral Stukov, I am here under orders to terminate your command." Alexei Stukov: "Lieutenant Duran. I'm not surprised. We both know exactly what it is that you're here to terminate. Get on with it." Duran: "Say goodnight, Stukov." Stukov: "To hell with y- !" Gerard DuGalle: "Lieutenant Duran, report your situation immediately!" Stukov: "Gerard... old friend. You do indeed have a traitor in your midst... but it's not me. Duran. He has been playing us both from the start... He convinced you to destroy the Psi Disrupter... even though it was our best chance at defeating the Zerg. And then, on Aiur, ...he allowed the Zerg to overrun us even as we had the fugitives in our grasp. I came here... to activate the one hope we have of defeating them... And you killed me for it. Heh, heh... Duran is your enemy Gerard. I suspect... that he may even be infested as well... Use the Disrupter, Gerard... Finish our operation... Let my death have at least some meaning." DuGalle: "Alexei! No! What have I done? What have I done? Computer, where the hell is Lieutenant Duran?" Adjutant: "The Lieutenant no longer registers on my sensors, Admiral. He appears to have vanished." DuGalle: "No." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Patriot's Blood (in English). 1998.
āZeratul and James Raynor went their separate ways and have not been heard from since their departure. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Epilogue (in English). 1998.
