User:Thomulf/Xel'naga

The Xel'naga are a fictional alien species in the video game StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War. They are part of StarCraft's story (StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War missions) and backstory, however they do not feature at all in actual gameplay. There is a lot of backstory on the Xel'naga which is not provided in the StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War missions. Their appearance is unknown, but they are depicted as having extremely advanced technology and powerful psionic abilities. They are also known to have considered taking lives abhorrent and always contained, rather than killing, their enemies.

Origin
The Xel'naga have originated somewhere outside our galaxy, but no one in our galaxy knows where. By the time they reached our galaxy, they had the technology of space travel, and advanced genetic engineering.

Life cycle
Not much is known about the Xel'naga, for example those who have seen a Xel'naga in flesh and bones are either dead without leaving a record, or not willing to share information. Because of this, the appearance of the xel'naga is unknown. However, we do know that the Xel'naga live for millions of years (that does not mean immortal) and have a very particular way of reproducing. To create a new Xel'naga, two different species with particular traits which the Xel'naga call "purity of essence" and "purity of form" must provide one member each to fuse together and become a Xel'naga.

Influence
The Xel'naga are a large part of StarCraft's missions and backstory because they changed the role of the Protoss and Zerg in an irrevocable way, and also one that is important to the story. This is because soon after they entered our galaxy, they realized they were going to die out unless they found two usable races. So they wandered among the stars and observed thousands of species.

Protoss
The first success was when they found the Protoss on the planet Aiur. They thought that the Protoss could qualify for "purity of form" if they evolved just a little more. They waited, and waited, until they realised that they would run out of time unless they speeded the Protoss up. So they genetically modified them, improving their size, reproduction rate, strength and psionic potential. After having done this, they decided to reveal themselves to the Protoss while continuing to study them. The Protoss worshipped the Xel'naga as gods and allowed them to do whatever they wanted. The Xel'naga continud to run tests on the protoss, and were constantly improved them. They discovered the difference in the kind of psionic power of the different protoss tribes by giving khydarin crystals to two different Protoss tribes, to use and study. When they saw the crystals a month later, both the appearance and powers of the crystals had changed. They named these crystals Uraj and Khalis. However, the Protoss grew arrongant, believing that they were second to none but the Xel'naga, that their genetic gifts allowed them to do what they liked. When the xel'naga saw that the tribes were fighting among each other for their attention, they prepared to depart. When the Protoss saw them embarking upon their worldships, they became confused and angry, and started attacking them. However, the Xel'naga managed to escape without harm, and never returned, for they thought the Protoss were a failed species because of them. After the Xel'naga left, the Protoss descended into the Aeon of Strife.

Zerg
After the failure of the attempt to make the Protoss the first beings to become new Xel'naga, the Xel'naga wondered if they would ever again find another perfect species like that one. They again began searching, and soon they discovered an insectoid life form on the planet Zerus. This small, larval-like being slithered across the ground at its own pace, with little notice of its surroundings. It also happened to be the perfect candidate for "purity of essence". The Xel'naga modified the genes of the beings that would become the species that Terrans would come to call Zerg. They made these small larvae creatures larger and more resistant, and gave them the ability to feed on another creature's brain, and they marveled at how other creatures on the planet were tramsformed into Zerg after just a few generations of this parasitic relationship. As the beings created by this process became more complicated, the Xel'naga were afraid that they would become intelligent and meet the failure of the Protoss. So they grew a zerg out of a larva which literally resembled a huge brain. This being had immense psionic power and every Zerg was modified to recognise its mind and respond to its commands. The Xel'naga kept a telepathic link open with what they called the Overmind, so as to monitor the Zerg and keep them under control. They also taught the Overmind to strive to make the Zer better and better, to assmilate every gene that could be useful for its species. The nearest useful genes that the Overmind could see were those of the Xel'naga. The first warning the xel'naga recieved that something was wrong was when the telepathic link was suddenly severed. then thousands of Zerg attacked the Xelnaga worldships, killing thousands. If any of the xelnaga escaped, they have disappeared.

Remains
By the time that the story of StarCraft begins (missions) the Xel'naga have long dissapeared. However, they have left relics behind them, especially on the planet Aiur. The Dark Templar Protoss are always searching for these remains left by their creators.

Khydarin crystals
Khydarin crystals are crystals that hold a lot of power inside them, left by the Xel'naga on numerous worlds. This power can only be released by psionic means. The crystals have been used by the Protoss to code and store information, to augment their psionic memories, and in protoss Pylons to link Aiur and distant locations so that warriors and machines can arrive through a warp gate.

Xel'naga temple
A Xel'naga temple, built for reasons unknown, was found by the Dark Templar Protoss on the planet Shakuras. They decided to make Shakuras their new homeworld so as to study this temple. Upon the Zerg attack on Shakuras, the Protoss activated the temple using the Uraj and Khalis Kydarin crystals, and it released an explosion of energy, killing all the Zerg on the planet.