Artanis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Artanis ("noble woman") is also the 'father-name' of Galadriel, a character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
StarCraft character
Artanis
Image:Artanis.png
Species Protoss
Affiliation(s) New Antioch, Protoss civilization
Position(s) Protoss Praetor, Protoss Scout pilot

Artanis is a young Protoss Praetor in the StarCraft universe. At only 262 years old, he has been given great military responsibility and is the youngest Protoss in history to achieve this rank.

In Starcraft Map Editor, he appears as the hero version of the Protoss Scout.

Contents

[edit] Fictional Biography

A young warrior and Scout pilot in the service of the now defunct Protoss Conclave, Artanis is among the few remaining heroes of his race and among the last of its great Templar leaders. Though he employs unconventional tactics and is a dynamic, flexible leader, his youth is the sire to arrogance and a brash demeanor. He looks down on the Terran colonies and recklessly attacked the United Earth Directorate on Braxis, although Zeratul warned him against such arrogance.

Artanis idolizes Tassadar and hopes to become a great leader like him. He likens his sacrifice to that of Adun, a legendary Protoss hero, and substitutes his name in place of Adun's in the Templar warcry "En Taro Adun". He also considers himself unworthy of even speaking Tassadar's name, and despises Kerrigan, one of Tassadar's greater enemies in life.

Artanis was appointed Praetor shortly after the apocalyptic battle that saw the death of the Zerg Overmind and Tassadar with it. Along with the Executor and Zeratul, he led the Conclave survivors, including Aldaris, to the Warp Gate and escaped to Shakuras, the Dark Templar homeworld. When the Protoss made it safely to Shakuras, Artanis was put in charge of the refugee camp, New Antioch. However, the Zerg followed them through the Gate and attacked the sparsely defended camp: luckily the Dark Templar emerged to save them and lead them to the Matriarch Raszagal. During the battle, the Warp Gate was closed by Jim Raynor and Fenix, who vowed to defend Aiur from the Zerg and close the gate to halt the infestation.

Upon meeting Raszagal and learning of the Xel'Naga Temple, Artanis was very enthusiastic about retrieving the Uraj and Khalis in order to activate it. However, Raszagal wanted the Zerg cleared away from the Temple first. Artanis saw, for the first time, the true power of the Dark Templar as they slew two Cerebrates. Afterwards, Kerrigan made her introduction to the Protoss of Shakuras. While Raszagal welcomed her, Artanis said he could not forget what she had done to his race. Aldaris, meanwhile, refused to talk to Raszagal.

[edit] Quest for the Crystals

Artanis, Zeratul and Infested Kerrigan took part in the expedition to Braxis, where the Uraj crystal was located. Overcoming damage to the Protoss Warp Matrix, which prevented his forces from summoning space vessels; the Protoss defeated the Terran forces there and recovered the crystal. When the Protoss tried to leave Braxis, however, they met a surprise: the United Earth Directorate's Admiral Stukov had constructed a series of Missile Turrets on a space platform over Braxis, which would prevent the Protoss from escaping.

While Zeratul was cautious of this new threat, Artanis was surprising by his reluctance. Artanis asked Zeratul why they, who killed the Overmind, should fear the Terrans, but was reminded that such a feat was accomplished with the help of Terrans as well. Artanis, still prideful, led a small force to disable the blockade and provide an escape route.

Artanis' next destination was Char, home of the second Zerg 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. Kerrigan and Artanis both proposed a way of recovering the crystal. Kerrigan suggested cutting a path through the Zerg in order to recover it, while Artanis suggested dealing enough subdual damage to the Overmind to temporarily pacify the nearby Zerg - the new Overmind was still in its infant stage, and its control over the Zerg was still weak. Zeratul told Artanis that his plan was very bold, worthy of Tassadar himself, bringing a blushing reaction from Artanis and a sarcastic comment from Kerrigan.

During the upcoming battle, Kerrigan took control of a Zerg Hive Cluster and "donated" it to the Protoss. Together, the Zerg and Protoss fought their way to the Overmind and Khalis, spiriting the crystal away. However, Artanis seemed despondent. He believed his forces would arrive at Shakuras too late to finally defeat the Zerg there.

[edit] Return to Shakuras

When the forces arrived on Shakuras, they found it in a state of war. Aldaris, angered at Raszagal's acceptance of Kerrigan, had taken control of a band of Khali survivors and led an assault on New Antioch. Artanis discovered that many of their High Templar had sided with Aldaris, and the threat of enemy Archons was very real: Zeratul responded by having the Dark Templar merge to become Dark Archons, which proved the equal of their Light counterparts in battle.

Artanis and Zeratul fought for the Matriarch, while Kerrigan avoided the action, as it was an internal Protoss matter. After defeating Aldaris, Artanis and Zeratul descended on him. Artanis pleaded for Aldaris to surrender, but the conversation was interrupted when Kerrigan arrived and killed the rebel Templar. Zeratul evicted a gloating Kerrigan from Shakuras as a result of her actions.

During the second confrontation between Protoss and Zerg forces on the much hallowed Xel'Naga Temple grounds of Shakuras, which lay atop a nexus of cosmic energy, Artanis was instrumental in breaking the Zerg blockade and activating the ancient weapon. Wielding the golden Uraj crystal, he manipulated the nexus's cosmic energies to eradicate all Zerg life on Shakuras.

[edit] The Siege of Char

Artanis accompanied Zeratul to Char after Kerrigan had kidnapped Raszagal from Shakuras and brought her there, as a tool to force Zeratul to destroy the second Zerg Overmind. While Kerrigan's ploy was successful, Zeratul escaped with the Matriarch. Kerrigan sent most of her Zerg Broods down to the surface of Char to recapture the Matriarch, but Zeratul's decision to rather kill the Matriarch, rather than let her live as Kerrigan's puppet, shocked Kerrigan. Kerrigan allowed Zeratul to leave, but even so, she was in a bad situation. Only one of her Broods was in a position to defend the strategic orbital platform over Char that she was now based on.

Artanis led the assault on Kerrigan's base of operations on the platform for the Protoss; in a desperate alliance the Protoss, Terran Dominion, and United Earth Directorate combined their resources and assaulted the platform, attempting to secure the Omega platform to use as a staging point for the defeat of the Zerg on Char. However, the plans, strategies and strength of the three depleted allied armies were inadequate and the alliance crumbled before the might of the Zerg Swarm; Artanis and a few survivors fled back to Shakuras after the debacle.

In Resurrection IV, Artanis later took part in a mission on Braxis to deinfest Admiral Stukov. Stukov evacuated the planet with Raynor, who spearheaded the mission, and Artanis subsquently purified the planet of life to destroy Stukov's former Brood that had nested there.

[edit] References

StarCraft by Blizzard Entertainment
StarCraft Universe Gameplay of StarCraft • Psionic technology
Species Terran • Protoss • Zerg • Xel'Naga • Hybrid
Factions and Organizations Judicator Caste • Kel-Morian Combine • Khalai Caste • Protoss Conclave • Pirate Militias • Raynor's Raiders • Sons of Korhal • Templar Caste • Terran Confederacy • Umojan Protectorate • United Earth Directorate • Zerg Brood
Locations Aiur • Antiga Prime • Braxis • Char • Chau Sara • Korhal • Mar Sara • Moria • Shakuras • Talematros • Tarsonis • Umoja • Zerus
Characters Aldaris • Artanis • Gerard DuGalle • Edmund Duke • Samir Duran • Fenix • Sarah Kerrigan • Arcturus Mengsk • Nova • Raszagal • Jim Raynor • Alexei Stukov • Tassadar • Zeratul • Zerg Overmind • Minor Characters
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