How ar the artifacts Dues Ex Machina?

[Eroldren]

A little off topic, but I was just looking over Unreal wikia lore and U2: The Awakening (NOTE: Which I never played except UT2004) but it basically deals with assembling 7 ancient artifact pieces into some powerful weapon thats being collected by a "Terran Colonial Authority Marshal" etcetera. Revealing once one, the ancient malevolent Tosc race are reborn from their buried DNA within the petty Kai. (Looks like a Blizzard juggled version of Xel'Naga (plus their two creations), and the Hybrid.)

So could WoL's Xe'Naga Artifact have a greater role than its current cliche anti-zerg/infestation status related to Unreal's own artifact concept?

[Turalyon]

Good point. However, the problem is that in order to make the de-infestation of Kerrigan work, you need to start jumping through a number of hoops. In this case, that her form of infestation is particularly susceptible to non-fatal de-infestation. Did the Overmind particularly create her this way? Is she infested using zerg organelles rather than a zerg virus? Did Terran scientists know this before hand?

We're not even sure if Kerrigan is really de-infested even though all evidence points to it. Hell, the artifact may have even made her a perfected Zerg-Human Hybrid for all we know!!

A little off topic, but I was just looking over Unreal wikia lore and U2: The Awakening (NOTE: Which I never played except UT2004) but it basically deals with assembling 7 ancient artifact pieces into some powerful weapon thats being collected by a "Terran Colonial Authority Marshal" etcetera. Revealing once one, the ancient malevolent Tosc race are reborn from their buried DNA within the petty Kai. (Looks like a Blizzard juggled version of Xel'Naga (plus their two creations), and the Hybrid.)

So could WoL's Xe'Naga Artifact have a greater role than its current cliche anti-zerg/infestation status related to Unreal's own artifact concept?

This is a leading question. Because you're implying the artifact is no different/ a cliche from the one in Unreal, the only answer is no. They both have utility as a weapon but their 'real' function is secret until it is revealed to having something to do with bringing back (or doing whatever to/with/for/at) an ancient race. I doubt the real answer will be anything too different (or interesting) from that.

[mr. peasant]

It would be potentially interesting if the Dark Voice gets a hold of it, and turning its use against the Zerg and Protoss (the latter are theorised to also be adversely affected by it) since the two races will likely be rallying against its forces.

[Turalyon]

It would be potentially interesting if the Dark Voice gets a hold of it, and turning its use against the Zerg and Protoss (the latter are theorised to also be adversely affected by it) since the two races will likely be rallying against its forces.

I've had a number of thoughts about this, too, but mainly about why the Dark Voice doesn't know about them and therefore, made use of this device prior to the events of WoL already. I mean the DV's been around as long as the Xel'Naga (and is most likely one) to screw with their designs, so you'd think it'd be fairly knowledgeable about certain 'artifacts', especially ones that can help it's own goals.

I know that we are told that the artifacts are only a few thousands years old and are shown to have untold power. But that just means the artifact pieces have been lying around for millenia. Why hasn't the agents of the DV been able to find them yet? I mean they weren't exactly that hard to find as WoL clearly shows. Moebius knew where they were and the Tal'Darim held a great number of them, but not some secretive "Great Enemy" with a vast intellect who has been planning all this time to destroy the Zerg and Protoss and has agents successfully fulfilling its plans?

I've been hearing rumours that either Moebius or even the Tal'Darim is in league with the DV. If either of that is true, you would naturally assume the DV (or his forces) would have found the artifact and used it by now.

Instead of spending all this time concocting a Byzantine plan to make Hybrids and to use them to crush his enemies, the DV could've used more of this time to find this artifact and to use it. Even if it does have an ulterior function, the artifact's utility as a weapon (even if it's goal was to not entirely kill Zerg and Protoss but to subdue them) is way more effective than Hybrids could ever be and its use is far more cost efficient to boot as well.

The only plausible reason for this is: The DV just doesn't know about them. Heh, it's kinda funny how this artifact continues to create such convenient plot machinations...

[Kimera757]

I've had a number of thoughts about this, too, but mainly about why the Dark Voice doesn't know about them and therefore, made use of this device prior to the events of WoL already. I mean the DV's been around as long as the Xel'Naga (and is most likely one) to screw with their designs, so you'd think it'd be fairly knowledgeable about certain 'artifacts', especially ones that can help it's own goals.

I know that we are told that the artifacts are only a few thousands years old and are shown to have untold power.

I think the DV made those ones.

But that just means the artifact pieces have been lying around for millenia. Why hasn't the agents of the DV been able to find them yet?

Don't know. Maybe it was far away and only came through that portal that Zeratul saw in Twilight.

I mean they weren't exactly that hard to find as WoL clearly shows. Moebius knew where they were

I suspect that Narud (Duran?) is actually a servant of the Dark Voice and therefore knew where they were.

and the Tal'Darim held a great number of them

The Tal'darim of Aiur were in thrall to Ulrezaj, who has a boss (I suspect the Dark Voice himself). I wouldn't be surprised if the DV had the protoss guard these artifacts until he no longer needed them. But to be sure, this is getting quite speculative.

I've been hearing rumours that either Moebius or even the Tal'Darim is in league with the DV. If either of that is true, you would naturally assume the DV (or his forces) would have found the artifact and used it by now.

How is the Dark Voice (probably a xel'naga) still alive? Shouldn't the xel'naga have all died of old age by now, even survivors of the zerg attack?

Instead of spending all this time concocting a Byzantine plan to make Hybrids and to use them to crush his enemies, the DV could've used more of this time to find this artifact and to use it. Even if it does have an ulterior function, the artifact's utility as a weapon (even if it's goal was to not entirely kill Zerg and Protoss but to subdue them) is way more effective than Hybrids could ever be and its use is far more cost efficient to boot as well.

I have to wonder how effective the artifact is as a weapon. It's like the xel'naga temple of Shakuras. It takes time to activate. It needs an army to protect it, and said army can't be protoss, zerg or even hybrid as all three would probably be destroyed by it. Look how much trouble Raynor and Valerian went through in order to use it. They used half the Dominion fleet and still nearly got crushed in the initial invasion. (Why wasn't the artifact set up yet? And even then it had to charge up to full.)

[Karass]

I think the Tal'darim are certainly indirectly in legaue with Dark Voice. Tal'darim from worldship are an alliance of Protoss who chose to remain on the abandonded colonies formed after the Zerg invasion headed by Executor Lhassir. In that, they are much like Tal'darim of Aiur and Metzn explicitly hinted that the Worldship Tal'darim may also be under Ulrezaj's influence. Considering that Ulrezaj almost certainly serves Duran aka Dark Voice (he had six Hybrids in Aiur caverns), that makes Tal'darim puppets of DV as well.

[Eivind]

The Dark Voice is probably the one who, indirectly, used the artifact. Valerian owns Moebius, which is lead by Narud, who is either Duran or connected to him, and who serves DV, who, according to Duran, has slept for "countless ages".

[Karass]

"Slept countless ages" rather refers to Xel'Naga cycle, of which the Hybrid are completion (in DV version). Duran is quiet obviously DV himself or rather, his "proxy" persona, who changed forms many times over the millennia and some of hios names were known to Zeratul ("you would know me best as Smir Duran").

As for Narud, I like the idea of him being a conceptual "rival" character for Duran a lot more than just blatantly being "Duran backwards". The theory about him being a scientist interested in the Xel'Naga and helping "good guys" against Duran is supported by the fact that "Emil" means "rival", "enemy" or "counterpart", coupled with his surname being backwards (read "opposite") of "Duran".

I'm not exactly sure if the Device was created by DV, although that's quiet possible.

[Eivind]

I guess you could argue both ways. It's impossible to really say anything for certain until the expansions.

[Turalyon]

All of what you guys are saying is not helping me debunk the theory that the DV is a lazy-ass bastard who could've wiped out both Protoss and Zerg long ago.

The notion that the DV may have created the artifact only just strengthens that idea. Duran (if he really is Narud), who is also in control of Moebius and knowing about these artifacts as well as being in cahoots with DV also supports this. Even if Narrd is not Duran and not in league the DV, we have Ulrezaj. He serves the DV and his Tal'Darim know the whereabouts of most of the artifact.

Therefore, why has this artifact, with it's surprisingly effective utility as a weapon, only been discovered now and not been found and used earlier by the DV, an entity who has been around for ages (and maybe even created the damn thing?!?!), sooner if his agents seem to know about them?