The Hierarch (Book 1)

The Reclamation of Aiur

In , Artanis took the Golden Armada under his command and led it to Aiur, as reclaiming it was the only common interest possessed by both the Khalai and Nerazim. In doing so, he hoped that a new protoss civilization could be created from the rubble of the old.

Yet on the day before the invasion, Artanis was plagued by self doubt. He excused himself from the fleet and came down to the surface of . His friend joined him, questioning his absence. Artanis admited that he had doubts as to whether he could lead the invasion to victory, and questioned whether Aiur was worth reclaiming at all. Kaldalis claimed that Aiur was the heritage of the protoss, yet Artanis pointed out that so too was the . Yet the protoss did not cling to that dark time. Kaldalis pointed out that the Aeon ended favorably for the protoss, as united them through the , and the Firstborn turned Aiur into a paradise. Yet again, as Artanis reminded him, the protoss once again fell into civil strife in the, as the separated themselves from their kindred. He voiced the belief that the zerg's invasion of Aiur was fate's punishment for their past sins. And that Aiur was an ideal that had served its time.

Kaldalis refused to accept that, and told Artanis that he had volunteered to be a. That his friend had inspired him to do so, so that they could make a new world for all protoss. Kaldalis departed the moon's surface, urging Artanis to return. To lead them home. For a moment, Artanis remained, before likewise teleporting upwards to rejoin the fleet.

The invasion was launched and a beachhead was established on the surface. Onboard his ship, Artanis addressed the Templar who would be warped down to the planet's surface en masse. However, Zeratul appeared nearby, prompting Selendis to order the Templar to arrest the Nerazim. Artanis allowed Zeratul to speak, who warned the protoss of the threat of Amon, and that Artanis had to call the invasion off. Artanis, remembering his history with Zeratul, nonetheless stated that too many had already been sacrificed in order to call off the invasion. He ordered Selendis to commence the reclamation.

The protoss forces landed outside the ruined city of , as they fought to reactivate its . The protoss forces made headway against the , but eventually came across a brood that, as Zeratul pointed out, were acting with far more coordination than their mindless counterparts. Artanis conceded the point, and soon, the protoss discovered the guiding hand—. However, even they fell before the protoss forces. With the warp conduits secured, Artanis gave Selendis control over the invasion, while he retired to discuss matters with Zeratul further.

Zeratul revealed to Artanis of the , the xel'naga artifact that would the key to stopping Amon and a prophecy that the xel'naga would stand with the protoss in the end. Artanis urged Zeratul to go to to obtain the Keystone from Raynor.

Zeratul's warnings proved accurate, as the invasion was thrown into disarray as revealed his presence, corrupting the Khala. Artanis was directly possessed by Amon and forced to fight Zeratul. Though the Dark Prelate managed to sever Artanis' nerve cords, freeing the Hierarch from Amon's control, he was fatally wounded as a result. Horrified at what he had done, Artanis cradled his old friend in his arms, who reminded one last time to seek the Keystone, before disintegrating into dust.

Artanis later rendezvoused with , who also had his nerve cords severed by the Nerazim.Acknowledging that the invasion had failed, Artanis lead his remaining forces in retreat in the .Onboard the ship, once safely far from Aiur, Karax instructed Artanis on the nature of the ship. Artanis declared that they would avenge what had transpired at Aiur.

Subsequently, while checking the section of the ship, they found Grand , who had been awoken from stasis. Artanis became hostile when Karax pointed out that she was still connected to the Khala. Though Rohana assured them that Amon held no power over her, Artanis warned that if she were to be corrupted, he would not hesitate to execute her.