Character Bio
Application
PLAYER:
Name: Clamor
Personal Journal: macabreclamor
Contact Info: AIM: witcardsnribbons
CHARACTER:
Name: Zeratul
Source: StarCraft
History: (An in depth summary can be found here.)
Files suggest Zeratul came into being some time around 1865, by Terran research. That would easily suggest the Dark Templar has experienced over/nearly a millennium of life, making him one of the oldest Protoss to still be alive other than Raszagal, the Dark Templar Matriarch. His voyages into the cold silence of space accounts for much of his life, in search of relics or information about the 'god-race' known as the Xel'Naga. But his involvement in the war with the Zerg began only after bringing a small band of his warriors with him to investigate a mental call given by Sarah Kerrigan-- a Terran supersoldier captured by the Zerg and mutated into a deadly new strain by the hive mind. The developing creature, entombed in a protective chrysalis on the planet Char, also drew two other factions: Terrans under command of one Jim Raynor, and warriors from the Conclave led by the Templar Tassadar. Kerrigan's rebirth as the self-proclaimed "Queen of Blades" prompted the three forces to band together to survive on Char, although Tassadar reacted with hostility after Zeratul revealed himself. Zeratul took no offense to this and gradually gained Tassadar's trust through his teachings, going as far as to teach the younger Protoss about the Dark Templar and their powers. Raynor was included in these impromptu 'lessons' and even grew to consider the two Protoss as friends despite initial xenophobia from his comrades.
An unexpected Zerg assault saw Zeratul and his warriors captured and taken to an infested Terran installation for presumably torture or assimilation into the Zerg swarm, but was rescued by Tassadar and taken back to Aiur. The Dark Templar were seen as heretics (As their tribe had been exiled from Aiur countless generations back) and the outraged Conclave sought to have Tassadar arrested for trial and execution. He was rescued by Raynor as well as Praetor Fenix before the Conclave had a chance to carry out his sentence in time to sacrifice himself in destroying the Zerg Overmind with nothing but his damaged Carrier and Dark Templar skills taught to him by Zeratul.
Although this effectively eliminated the Zerg's leadership system, rampant Zerg still killed nearly 70% of the Protoss population on Aiur. Zeratul saw this and prompted an escape to the Dark Templar world of Shakuras, leaving behind Raynor and Fenix to protect the refugees. They were followed by a vast number of Zerg to the point where the planet was under threat of being overrun. A long series of events found the collection of two crystals -the Uraj and the Khalis- in a final attempt to cleanse the Zerg from Shakuras using a Xel'Naga temple. The attempt was successful and the invaders were neutralized.
Kerrigan, the "Queen of Blades', had by then strengthened herself enough to gain control over a small number of Zerg hive clusters; going as far as to infest the Matriarch Raszagal without Zeratul's knowledge. Using the Matriarch as a puppet, Kerrigan convinced the Dark Templar to assist her in killing a second Overmind that was growing under the control of the United Earth Directorate (Another Terran faction), and revealed her treachery to Zeratul after they succeeded. This prompted him to kill Raszagal at her request to free her from Kerrigan's influence, although it left him considerably broken after the deed was done. He had enough energy left to discover and destroy an installation devoted to the creation of a Zerg-Protoss hybrid, but left with many questions still unanswered.
Zeratul entered a self-imposed exile and remained as such; presumably traveling amongst the stars. Four years later he returned and appeared aboard Jim Raynor's ship, injured and in poor health, to convey a message:
"I bring tidings of doom. The xel'naga return, the cycle nears its end, the artifacts are the key."
"The key? The key to what?"
"To the end of all things."
Personality: Largely a scholar rather than a warrior, Zeratul is known amongst his kin more for his wisdom than his physical ability. His great intellect is geared more towards understanding the mysteries of the Xel'Naga as well as the history of the Protoss race; only when conflict is inevitable does he turn his attention and efforts to war, but does so grudgingly. For the most part he simply watches and records history as it progresses as a neutral third party.
Every scholar is in some small way a teacher. Zeratul is no exception. The Templar and savior Tassadar learned the way of the Dark Templar from the elder Protoss in a fashion strangely reminiscent of the way Greek teachers would teach their charges. Instead of the conventional schooling humans use now (Mass production versus quality), Zeratul prefers to use riddles and other frustrations to get the student to answer the given question by him or herself using logic. He is, as the saying is, rather 'old school' for the times. But one can't deny his methods work.
In terms of an air of mystery, the Protoss is very similar to an old tome in some forgotten language; dizzy with knowledge and nigh unreadable. He neither parts with information easily nor lets himself be read in a hurry. One would have to spend a great deal of time getting to know Zeratul before he would so much as consider letting the odd tidbit about himself slip out. After unknowingly imparting the location of Aiur to the Zerg, he is understandably selfish about giving away any sort of information at all without knowing the character and personal integrity of the individual asking the question. It takes some time to gain his trust. But once gained, he can be an invaluable source of advice when it's needed the most.
Biggest Fear: The destruction of the Protoss race via assimilation into the Zerg.
Powers: Zeratul's great age can be the best way to explain his mastery of the mental prowess all Protoss share; his ability to form warp blades without bracers, cloak himself in shadow, and mentally assess others with ease is a feat even by the standards of his race. The Dark Templar is capable of moving fast enough to leave behind afterimages, and is strong enough to cleave a Terran marine in full armor cleanly in two. However, he is physically frail without his shielding units and does tire quicker than a typical Protoss warrior in his prime.
To summarize, Zeratul specializes in warp blades, shadow movement, mental/psychic powers, and stealth.
SAMPLES:
Third Person:
Death and darkness. Always it was death and darkness, never peace or joy. Zeratul's dreams were plagued with past defeats and horrors of his long life that even another millennium would do nothing to erase. Though he had no mouth to use in his facial expression, the way the bony ridges over his eyes slanted downwards as well as the tense set of his shoulders spoke for itself. Unseen and unheard atrocities did their work invisibly but with as much damage as any gun or biological weapon.
The Prelate was in a recurring nightmare.
Always, always, he dreamed about the guilt of having Aiur's location taken from his consciousness by the Overmind, about the deaths of his people. Most of all he dreamed about the death of Raszagal and her dying wish.
Leader of the Dark Templar. Him. If only she knew how very frail and weak he truly was, letting her die when he should've seen through Kerrigan's scheming. His age did nothing to assist him in his endeavors. In the end he had been led around like some lost little child; manipulated, and finally tortured by memories not even time could bury out of sight. If nothing else Kerrigan had succeeded in giving him a burden that could never go away. All his fault. His fault. His fault--
His eyes shot open in a blaze of brilliant emerald green, tinted by the faintest strain of yellow in fading alarm.
Zeratul had not been lying on the bed as most tenants would recall starting in, but crouched beside it in a meditative posture most Protoss assumed when falling into the same state as sleep was for humans. He remained that way for a several moments, unmoving save for a clawlike hand that settled on his thigh from where it had been splayed in front of him to keep his body from falling forwards. For a time he was content to simply study the apartment in that unreadable way he did even though the environment was entirely alien to him. The strange setting didn't seem to bother the Dark Templar at all. After all...
Anywhere was better than his nightmares.
First Person:
[Zeratul's mental connection seems not to work on the communicator; he has switched to text in order to speak instead.]
A Terran installation? How very strange... there is nothing in the records about a settlement this sparse. A small mercy, perhaps. I have detected none of my own kind nor the Zerg.
How to unravel the mystery surrounding my arrival shall be most interesting... providing nothing interrupts my meditations.
Notes: Most of his entries will probably be text. 8'D At least unless he somehow tweaks the thing to broadcast his mental 'speech'.