Aug 3, 2011

Posted by in The Nerfherder's Guide To The Galaxy | 3 Comments

The Nerfherder’s Guide To The Galaxy: Korriban

From the crystal-laden caverns of Ilum to the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine, this is your guide to discovering the distant worlds and locales of Star Wars:The Old Republic. Welcome to The Nerfherder’s Guide to the Galaxy!

 

“To many, the heart of the Empire is Dromund Kaas. But Kaas City is far too loud to hear the will of the Force. To know the rage locked away in the swirling frenzy at the center of the galaxy, you need only kneel in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Hear the ancient whispers of our ancestors around you, and remember what it is to be Sith.”
– From the Teachings of Lord Kraius

Sith Academy

While Korriban may not be the capital of the Sith Empire, to many it is its heart and soul. Located in the “north-east” region of the Outer Rim, the names of few worlds inspire as much fear in citizens of the Republic as that of the desolate tomb-world of Korriban.

Tens of thousands of years before the Treaty of Coruscant, before the founding of the Jedi Order, the Sith were already an old and powerful civilization. An indomitable brutality and innate connection to the Dark Side of the Force allowed the Sith to resist invasions from both the Killiks and the Infinite Empire of the Rakata. Using Rakatan technology, the ancient Sith spread out from their home world and began building an Empire.

Korriban may have been the birthplace of the Sith, but as ages passed, they established the planet Ziost as the capital of their ancient empire. After the Second Great Schism within the Jedi Order, the defeated Dark Jedi were exiled from Republic space. In their wandering, they found Korriban and established themselves as living gods among the Sith.

Throughout the millennia of conquering and wars that followed, led by the Sith Lords on Ziost, Korriban was left as a testament to the glory of the Sith. Massive tombs and mausoleums were constructed along the deep valleys of red rock that gouge the surface of Korriban. In these crypts, the Dark Lords of the Sith were entombed, their bodies decayed and their spirits remained, angry and powerful, within the darkness.

Sith Pureblood

The near total destruction of the Sith Empire and species, long since intermingled with the bloodlines of the Dark Jedi, ordered by Supreme Chancellor Pultimo at the end of the Great Hyperspace War left Korriban little more than a desolate ruin.

Though Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun created an academy on Korriban, this was abandoned at the end of the Great Sith War. Darth Revan reinstituted the Sith Academy, but with his defeat, and the deaths of Darth Malak and the Sith Triumvirate that followed, Korriban was once more left to decay.

In the opening moments of the Great War, however, the Sith Empire returned to their ancient home. Korriban has been reclaimed, the Academy reopened, and the spirits of the Dark Lords made restless once more.

Command Room

Korriban is the starting world for both the Sith Warrior and the Sith Inquisitor. Among the dusty ruins and harsh, desert landscape, new Sith players begin their journey for the glory of the Empire.

Much of Korriban is laid out as a long valley between sheer cliffs. This is known as the Valley of the Dark Lords and is the site of various efforts to reclaim lost fragments of Sith culture. Numerous statues, many crumbling from ages of neglect, adorn this valley and bow their heads in obeisance to the tombs of the Sith Lords around them.

At the western end of the Valley sits the Sith Academy. Here, the most promising students of the Dark Side learn to harness their anger and gain strength through fear. Leaving the Academy, new Sith find a small market, which leads into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Sacred to some, profane and opulent to others, the Valley hosts numerous tombs and mausoleums for the ancient Sith Lords.

One such tomb, that of Naga Sadow, was built around one of the ancient Star Maps. These star charts could be used to navigate the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Hundreds of years before the Treaty of Coruscant, Darth Revan used them to locate the Star Forge and build his empire.

The lower wilds of Korriban play host to a number of vicious, deadly creatures native to Korriban. Few animals can thrive in the inhospitable landscape where the Sith Lords are entombed, but the loathesome K’lor’slugs are among the deadliest of those that do. These creatures are encountered in the Tomb of Ajunta Pall, where new Sith Warriors can begin to show their mastery over the Dark Side.

Korriban is only the beginning for players of Sith Force users, where they will step into the galaxy and build their first lightsaber. How will you explore this dreaded world? Will you walk with silent reverence among the tombs of those who came before? Or will you mock the ghosts that haunt forgotten halls and leave to make a place for yourself in the new Sith Empire?

In-Game Map of Korriban

  1. SorcererBiggz says:

    Who says the Sith build their first lightsaber, I’d find that very gimmicky in comparison to the possible ways for them to obtain them. I have a few things in mind for bashing my masters head in.[Most of this is a joke, I understand we will most likely ‘build’ the lightsaber.]

    • Hehe. Honestly, it’s entirely possible that you won’t build your first saber. I’m not in Beta, and i wouldn’t break NDA if i was, nor do i cruise leak sites. I took a guess. Besides, i want to build my first saber, i can take my master’s later on to prove my worth a second time. :)

      • SorcererBiggz says:

        Well let me just say, I have a feeling that the Sith Inquisitor has the worst possible way to obtain their lightsaber. It’s boring as hell.

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