The Templar Caste is a collection of Protoss tribes in the fictional StarCraft universe. Descended from great warrior tribes from the Aeon of Strife, these were selected by Khas and his students to act as warriors. With few exceptions, only Protoss members of the Templar Caste do any fighting. (The exceptions are the Ara Tribe, Shelak Tribe, Furinax Tribe and Dark Templar.) Members of the Templar Caste who are particularly skilled psychics are known as High Templar. Both High Templar and any member of the Templar Caste are sometimes simply referred to as "Templar".
Known Templar Tribes
As in every Protoss caste, templar tribes are named after constellations.
Sargas Tribe
Easily the most notorious of the Tribes, their loyalty to the
Protoss Conclave was questionable. They continually fought to override the effects of the
Khala upon their Tribe. The Sargas are adept at killing, and were employed by the Conclave as assassins and enforcers. While
Protoss Rogues stemmed from virtually all Tribes, the largest contingent came from the Sargas. The Sargas' tribal color is blue.
Akilae Tribe
The Akilae Tribe represent the strongest fighting force in Light Protoss society (compared to the
Dark Templar). They dominated the other Tribes for hundreds of years during the
Aeon of Strife but submitted completely to the
Khala. Although loyal to the Judicators, the Akilae tribe argues that the Terrans should be considered potential allies instead of meaningless obstacles to be destroyed, and they protest the destruction of the infested Terran colonies. The Akilae's tribal color is teal.
Auriga Tribe
Dozens of thousands of years ago, the Auriga were the first to construct sailing ships. Now they service and operate the massive Carriers and Arbiters of the Protoss fleets. During the civil war on
Aiur, the Auriga took the side of the
Protoss Conclave against
Tassadar, but were defeated. The Auriga's tribal color is orange.
Venatir Tribe
Little is known of this tribe. Many of its members, like those of the Sargas Tribe, attempted to reject the
Khala. In
Brood War, the Venatir tribe is one of the few not wiped out by the Zerg, and it is with this tribe that the Protoss heroes Aldaris, Zeratul and Artanis flee to Shakuras. The motto of the Venatir Scout pilots is "Praemonitus, promunitus," which translates to "Forewarned, forearmed." The Venatir's tribal color is brown.
Velari Tribe
The Velari Tribe helped to defend
Aiur against invasion by the
Zerg. They are often depicted as the Conclave's main agents, as the ruined buildings of the Conclave in Episode IV are of the Velari Tribe. When Aldaris is seen, he takes the color of the Velari Tribe. The Velari's tribal color is yellow.
See also
References
Organizations in the StarCraft universe | Protoss