I have not finished reading it yet but it seems quite detailed, it addresses the essential question Now what happens without the khala? also notes of the golden age movement (these nerAzin always so hostile) pointing physical difference between protoss of different tribes, the false khala of purifier, ways of life between different castes
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It’s genuinely everything we’ve wanted out of a post-lotv protoss story and I absolutely love it, it feels a bit rushed in some parts (probably to cut it down to the 40 page limit) but it’s such a good exploration of their place and how they can go forward from the loss of the khala and the unity they’ve strived to grab
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I like this story, primarily because it reveals Selendis identity for the first time in a long time. I like her disclosure, which is about exactly what I wanted to get, even if not in such a large volume. This is a very interesting idea, to reveal her identity against the background of the global social problem of the protoss people, and I am really glad that Selendis still received at least some compensation for an unfairly small role in Lotv.
However, one point in this story made me very wary. I will warn you in advance that I am not a sexist, homophobic or racist, but I do not like the potential of a new female nerazim character, who shows excessive interest in Selendis. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s pretty good to introduce this character, her character and the way she blends in with Selendis character, and I would only be in favor if Nerath becomes her loyal friend and collaborator…but no more. You can safely do this with new characters, but please do not prescribe the old ones. I don’t want Selendis, who has been my favorite character for almost six years, to suddenly become part of modern cultural and gender values.
Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.
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One thing that stood out to me is that the nerazim really have been more… verbose than the Khalai. Zeratul of course rambles, but Artanis in particular, in hindsight tends to make more declarations rather than holding conversations. Karax gets around it somewhat because he’s explaining a lot of technical stuff to somebody without a knowledge base, and Alarak doesnt have the Khala either, and so tends to converse more than Artanis. Huh.
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These devices were meant to enhance one’s connection to the void . . . and regulate the energies to prevent a void shock from incapacitating the user
So it’s like I’ve been saying since forever, the khalai have started using the void since being cut off from the Khala. There’s zero evidence they’re still channeling Khala energies in LotV except when augmented by technology (if even that).
I have the theory that the low birth rate of the protoss is due to establish a romantic relationship when exist a communal telepathic relationship and a doctrine of self-control are shared, I doubt that it has a normal lsexual will like humans, it is nerazim because they show something else human extremist behaviors so who knows with them
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You mean besides them doing and using things that specifically require Khala energies, like using void rays? We can have this argument however many times you want, it wont make the explicit usage of khala energies go away.
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In fact, I don’t care what nerazims use there, what their culture is, and so on.
It is important to me that all these unusual measures do not concern my favorite character. If screenwriters really consider it necessary to promote such novels, then let them create new characters for them, and not so radically rewrite the old ones.
This is the opposite of what the story says, it explicitly mentions that the clamps convert psionic energy (from the protoss) into void energy (that they aren’t using) in order to try and make a khala-like connection between clamps
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A Protoss is forced to use the void after being cut off from the Khala. This has been in the manual since 1999.
Using khala energies via technology and being connected to the Khala are two separate things. Look up Gestalt Zero.
Wat? How are they not using it? It literally says the device strengthens a user’s connection to the void. They wouldn’t have put that if it was just a void-based walkie-talkie.
We’re not told what the “psi energy” in this example even is. It could be anything but if it was khala energy they would have just called it that.
What I find interesting is that Selendis seems to dislike the Golden Age armor. I’d have thought she be fine with it.
We’re told that was it’s origional purpose, and the reason Narath’s clan invented them, but it’s made very clear multiple times that it’s not being used that way anymore and is being modified a number of ways (including using purifier-like technology), even when we’re told that’s what Nerath intended them for she makes it clear that’s just what they were meant to do.
He turned the new device this way and that with one set of robotic hands as the others scrolled through results on his terminals. This was a device to channel void energy, but here were additional circuits more akin to Purifiers’ technology, and here, a modification that, while imperfect, malfunctioning, and partly melted, seemed an attempt to convert psionic energies to void energies. Was it to be a weapon? Why then have it anchored to the severed nerve cords . . .
“Oh,” he said into the quiet mechanical murmurings of his lab. It was an exclamation equal parts horror, disgust, and admiration for the mad, impossible genius of it. With the Khala gone, was someone truly trying to forge a new psionic link, mating it with energy from the void?
“khala energy” and “psi energy” are basically interchangeable terms, but they definitely wouldn’t use psi energy to refer to void energies, when they’re talking about converting a protoss’ psionic energies into void energies. If all protoss used void energies now instead of their native psionics, there wouldn’t be anything to convert, and that passage would literally just be saying they were using a converter in the clips to transform void energy into… void energy.
I think it makes sense, she’s always been a very solidly traditional templar character, but she’s never really been someone who looked backwards to glorify the past in the way the golden age movement tries to
1 Like
I didn’t see any implications of a love relationship. To be honest, writers usually stave away from those when it comes to Protoss. Making any Protoss love relationship is a tall order, making a lesbian Protoss relationship that feels organic is no easy task whatsoever.
Protoss are traditionally very loving species, they just don’t show it too much. Nerazim are known to be very passionate about their families. Case in point - Vorazun.
Nerath was just snarky at Selendis, because it is fun being snarky at someone who hates it. And them beginning to sort of respect each other was a logical conclusion after Selendis saved her butt and showed genuine sadness at the sight of Eranis’ extremely lonely end.
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Narath also states that they’re copies. The device is modified but still serves its original purpose. Otherwise there was no point in the writers giving us that information. Nowhere does it state that it’s been adapted to only send and receive khala energy (which the Protoss are supposedly cut off from anyway).
It’s not a coincidence that they refuse to use the word “Khala”.
Terrans use “psi energy” too, so I’m not onboard with that.
The clamp could just be converting Protoss brainwaves/thoughts for sending as void energy.
It explicitly says theyre using “psi energy”. At no point has it ever been indicated that the energies of the Khala are unique to the protoss, just that they arent void energies.
Now youre just using circular logic. “It uses void energies because they cant use khala energies, and this proves they cant use khala energies because it uses void energies.”
It explicitly doesnt use void energy. Its been modified to use a khalai’s normal energies. If you reject explicit statements in canon works, i dont know what to tell you.
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Really? You’re saying that terrans have been channeling khala energy this whole time? Is this really a great hill to die on? 
Khala energies are their own energy source as per the SC1 manual:
“By equipping themselves with amulets carved from Khaydarin crystal, the High Templar are able to channel the energies of the Khala with greater efficiency.”
And the dev interview I’ve cited a million times.
Things have names for a reason. If khala energy was just regular psi energy, that’s what it would be called.
Tbh I’m open to Khalai using generic “psi energy” if you refuse to admit that a protoss cut off from the khala embraces the void (as per the manual, DT saga, etc).
But whatever the case, every piece of lore that comes out seems to take a dump on your position that they’re still innately using an energy source they’re cut off from (without the aid of technology).
They do call it psi energy. A lot. Calling it Khala energy is, so far as im aware, a distinction used exclusively by the fans (and possibly even by just us on the story forums) to draw a contrast to Void energies when referring to protoss. Ive never heard of any source that explicitly or even implicitly calls it out as different from a terran’s psi energies.
No, you misinterpret every piece of lore that comes out to try and support your position even when it explicitly calls it out as wrong. Seriously dude, this is just sad at this point. There is no possible interpretation where “psi energy” actually means “thoughts”.
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The little details on this one really make it for me. The burial scene on mirroring the Road of Remembrance, protoss Alex Jones and all the conspiracy theories on the Purifiers, the throwbacks to the tensions created by the Golden Age style (the theme of the Golden Age skinset), a canon Purifer Mojo. A lot of little pieces of protoss lore.
Some bits that may have humanized them a bit too far is my only complaint (while Khalani writing was always a thing, I would have preferred technological “books,” or at least something made from hides like Khas did), and I would have liked to see a glimpse into what happened to the Tal’darim that chose to stay with the Daelaam, but aside from those minor things this was literally the exact kind of protoss story I wanted. One of my ideas for a story literally was fringe Khalai lost without the Khala trying to recreate the Khala by hijacking the Purifier data web, and that’s the spirit of what happened here basically. This was exactly what I wanted after we heard the difficulties of reconstruction in Evolution.
Really hope the other two stories are this quality, we’ll see. This one at least has most of the LotV cast together in one place, while the Heart cast is pretty scattered, especially if this ends up taking place after Evolution where Abathur’s in zerg jail. We’ll have to see though, this one got me super hype for the rest.
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Yeah, largely filled with good stuff. I kinda missed Vorazun though.
She would have been nice, but I admit it probably would have felt too much like the Legacy of the Void High School Reunion Episode if it was everyone sans Alarak. But it helped that I really liked Nerath as a fresh Nerazim perspective, kind of exemplifying the “free spirit” element of their culture.