“ | Before we became The Chosen, we were The Forged. And we can never be broken. | „ |
~ A Tal'darim mothership pilot. |
The Tal'darim, also known as The Forged or The Chosen, are a Protoss cult centered around worship of the fallen Xel'Naga Amon and a major antagonistic faction in the StarCraft franchise.
They splinter group whose origins lie before the Aeon of Strife in Protoss history. They worship Amon as the true god of the Protoss and derive their name from an ancient group of Protoss that served the Xel'Naga. Though their existence was only rumored for centuries, with Amon's return nearing they have come into the light to begin their work in his name of destroying all life in the sector.
History[]
The Tal'darim began as a group of Protoss taken away by Amon and his group xel'naga after they abandoned Aiur. They were brought to the sigma quadrant, where Amon left them with only the spoken words "Defeat your masters, or rise beyond them.". The Tald'arim interpreted this as meaning that, through service to Amon, they ascend alongside him the day he returned, and began to worship him as the one true god.
The Tal'darim mostly avoided contact with the other Protoss races, and their existence was not known by them for some time, instead being only a rumor. The closest the Tal'darim came to interaction with the other Protoss was taking Khalai and Nerazim technology and converting it into their own war machines.
Eventually, as Amon's return became imminent, the Tal'darim began to wage war against the other Protoss, along with the Terrans and Zurg, to destroy all life in the Sector and complete their service to Amon in the hopes of ascending alongside.
Eventually, Alarak learned that Amon secretly wished the Tal-darim join the rest of the galaxy in death and only really cared about the hybrids. As a result, Alarak formed an alliance with Artanis's protoss, overthrew Ma-lash, and led the Tal-darim to revenge for all lies Amon has let them believe stretching even before the Aeon of Strife.
Culture[]
Tal'darim culture is hierarchical and follows a principal known as the Chain of Ascension, which dictates that all Tal'darim occupy a link in a continuous chain of command where at the top sits the Highlord, the strongest of the Tal'darim, and immediately below him the Ascendants, his lieutenants. While Tal'darim commanders may kill their subordinates on a whim, in order for a lower-ranking Tal'darim to face a higher-ranking Tal'darim, they must go through a ritual known as Rak'Shir, where they challenge their superior to a ritual one-on-one duel to the death. If they prevail they will take their fallen superior's place in the Chain. Killing a superior without going through Rak'Shir is strictly forbidden and punished by ritual execution.
Members[]
- Ma'lash - Highlord (deceased)
- Alarak - First Ascendant (formerly) / Highlord
- Ji'nara - First Ascendant
- Nyon - Executor
[]
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Terran Confederacy Terran Dominion United Earth Directorate Zerg Tal'darim Forces of Amon |