After their creation, the Protoss continued to use the same tribal structure that they had before the Xel誰aga arrived. These tribes were separated not only by geography but also by ideas and goals. Some tribes loved exploration, while other enjoyed culture and drama, but most enjoyed war and fighting. When the Xel誰aga left Aiur the different tribes and clans waged a war on each other that would last uncounted centuries, which became known as the Aeon of Strife.
Many tribes were wiped out of existence during this time, while separatists from existing clans created new ones. Eventually obvious differences appeared that identified one clan from another, usually the skin color and texture were different between the clans. Although it was not uncommon to see a wide range of colors in a single tribe, it mainly depended on that tribe痴 view of outsiders.
The greatest dispute among the tribes after the Xel誰aga left was for overall control of the Protoss race. There was never a question about ruling Aiur independently of each other, the Xel誰aga had shown them that an entire planet ruled together could exist, it only a matter of which clan would be able to secure the leading position. This issue would spread from one side of Aiur to the other over countless centuries and millions of warriors would be killed. It was not until Khas, believed by many to be the sole remaining member of his tribe, created the Khala that the Aeon of Strife ended.
With the Khala came the call to end all tribe distinctions and live under the three independent castes, but there was great resistance to this idea. While no one wanted to return to the years of war and death, few wanted to give up the clans that were so much a part of their family structure and daily lives. Khas and the newly formed Conclave came to a simple decision: they would allow clans to continue to exist, as long as they were all subservient to the Conclave and followed the caste system. As the years passed, most clans began to gravitate to a single caste, which most members of the clan would belong to. So while a member of a clan could belong to any caste without restriction, many members of a clan belonged to the same caste.
All clans are made up of tribes, and all tribes are made up of family groups. Most clans live together in cities and communities spread across Aiur, but there are several places across Aiur and the Protoss colonies that the clans will freely mix and live together. Since the end of the Aeon of Strife, there are no restrictions to joining another clan or mating with members of other clans, but traditionally, most Protoss will try to mate with someone from their own clan first. List below are six most important clans in Protoss society. They are not the only clans, but they are the largest and most influential. Each description lists the caste that the majority of the clan痴 members belong to, along with their ceremonial position and title within Protoss society, and the general skin tone and texture of the members of the clan.
Description: The Ara is the youngest of the six large tribes and was formed only a few centuries before the end of the Aeon of Strife. Currently, the Ara is the most prominent and most powerful of all the clans because of its early support of Khas and the Khala. The Ara clan rallied behind Khas and his vision of a unified Protoss society. The Ara clan spread the message of the Khala across Aiur and converted many of the other clans.
To reward their tireless efforts, Khas bestowed upon the Ara clan the duties of the Judicator caste, and more specifically the leadership of the Conclave. While Conclave members are not required to be from a specific clan, 90% of all Conclave members since its inception have been from the Ara clan. Just prior to the invasion of Aiur, all members of the Conclave were part of the Ara clan.
The Ara clan is zealous in their belief of the Khala and refuses to deviate from its course. The reasons for their zeal are two fold. Firstly, the clan truly believes that the Khala is the most enlightened path for the Protoss. Secondly, and most importantly, members of the clan see that a deviation from the Khala could challenge their traditional leader of the Protoss. After untold centuries of warfare, the Ara clan achieved what no other clan before it could, they had nearly complete control over the other clans and they refuse to give it up.
Description: The Akilae clan has always a long tradition of strong warriors, but not until Khas rediscovered their innate psychic abilities, did the clan realize just how powerful they really were. Nearly all of the most powerful psychics come from the Akilae clan, and because of this, the clan dominates the Templar caste and more often then not, leads the caste.
The Akilae were constantly warring on their neighbors during the Aeon of Strife and built one of the most powerful empires on the planet, but they quickly abandoned it when they saw the vision provided by the Khala. Through the work of Khas and the Ara clan, the Akilae rejected the empire they had built through centuries of bloody warfare and they embraced the Templar caste.
For their devotion to the Khala and for possessing an incredible number of powerful psychics, the Akilae clan has achieved virtual control over the Templar caste, but they have never used their influence to undermine the Conclave. While they remain completely loyal to the vision of Khas, recently they have seen the need for a change. These changes would allow the Protoss to work better in the galactic community, so that instead of secretly ruling the species under their protection, the Protoss could work with them to achieve common goals. The Conclave is strongly opposed to this action and all attempts by the Akilae clan to change the minds of the Conclave have met with failure. It was not until the rebellion of Tassadar, an Akilae clan member, did the Akilae clan refuse to follow the orders of the Conclave and follow their own vision of the Khala.
Description: The Shelak clan, mainly by chance, was the closest clan to the ancient Xel誰aga race. They worked with the Xel誰aga closely as servants, assistants, and laborers, and once the Xel誰aga left, they found themselves with the best understanding of advanced technology. The Shelak clan documented all of their knowledge and all the knowledge that they had learned from the Xel誰aga and fought to prevent the other clans from stealing this knowledge and using it against the other clans. All throughout the Aeon of Strife, the Shelak clan protected this knowledge with their lives.
Following the end of the Aeon of Strife, the clan was rewarded by the Conclave and appointed to study and protect the Khaydarin Crystals, one of the most important technologies left by the Xel誰aga. The clan is also allowed to study the remaining artifacts and relics left by the Xel誰aga in hopes of learning something new from them. Although the Conclave has banned the original teachings of the Xel誰aga, which states that the Xel誰aga are superior to all other species, the Shelak clan is still entrusted with their knowledge.
Description: The Sargas clan has always been a black sheep in Protoss society. Following the departure of the Dark Templar, the Conclave projected an image of unity between the Protoss clans, but some clans did not support this view. Several clans, such as the Venetir and Sargas clans, clung to their independence and formed agreements with the Conclave. Both clans had always been known for their talents as silent warriors, who pride themselves in their abilities as spies and assassins, and this was a talent needed by both the Judicator caste and the Templar caste.
Through the Conclave, the Templar caste formed an agreement with the Venetir clan, which would provide the Templar caste with specially trained assassins from the Venetir clan. Seeking a special security force that would ensure that the castes were following the orders of the Conclave, an agreement was formed between the Sargas clan and the Conclave. The Sargas clan would provide the warriors known as the Judicator Enforcers, and in exchange the Conclave would allow the Sargas and Venetir clans to merge. Seeing little reason to oppose such a move, the Conclave allowed it. From that day forward the Venetir clan ceased to exist and in its place was a larger and more powerful Sargas clan, which would provide the assassins for the Templar caste and enforcers for the Judicator caste.
Description: The Auriga have always been interested in exploring the unknown. They were the first to construct sailing ships and sail the furious seas of Aiur, and they were the first to voyage into space in rudimentary spaceships built by the Protoss. For their love of exploration, the Auriga clan joined the Templar caste and became the Protectors of the Grand Fleet. Nearly all Templar in the Grand Fleet are from this tribe.
When the Conclave became convinced that the Zerg would eventually locate the home world of the Protoss and begin an invasion, the Grand Fleet, with the fighting force of the Auriga clan, was assembled in orbit of Aiur to defend the planet. Unfortunately, the Overmind was able to detect the presence of the Grand Fleet before it began its invasion and used a large portion of its power to create a giant dimensional portal on top of the Grand Fleet. The fleet, along with most of the Auriga clan, was sent to another dimension, and since the Overmind had no concept of dimensional travel it did not care where the fleet ended up. Without the Grand Fleet protecting Aiur, the initial stages of the Zerg invasion proceeded with very few problems.
Description: Easily the largest clan in terms of numbers, the Furinax clan holds the least power in Protoss society. While the other large clans lean towards the Judicator and Templar caste, the Furinax clan was drawn towards the Khalai caste. The Furinax clan always had a reputation for their artistic talents, in all forms, and these talents were expressed following the Aeon of Strife in incredible ways.
Artists, engineers, and scientists from this clan developed nearly all technologies used by the Protoss. From Zealot Armor to the Dragoon Combat Armor to the ships of the space fleet, the Furinax continued to discover new wonders to help their civilization. The only problem with this clan is how little they are respected by the Judicator caste. While the Templar caste treats the Furinax clan and the Khalai caste in general with respect, the Judicator caste, and particularly the Ara clan, treats the clan with disdain. This attitude originates from the end of the Aeon of Strife where the Furinax clan initially resisted the Khala and wished to remain independent. It was only after they had reluctantly adopted the Khala, at the personal insistence of Khas, that the clan was raised to prominence in the Khalai caste. The Furinax clan is responsible for so much in Protoss society, and yet they always remained aloof from the Conclave, sometimes delaying acting on directives from the Conclave and indirectly refusing to follow certain directives that would limit their creative tendencies. For years the Furinax clan was split between its independent nature and its loyalty to the Khala. This split ultimately resulting in a rebellion on the planet Shakuras, where half of the Furinax clan sided with Aldaris in his attempt to overthrow the Matriarch of the Dark Templar.