Keltrayu's Tomb

Keltrayu's Tomb (also called the Tomb of the Centurions) was a structure on Keliso created as a monument to the Centurion and general Keltrayu, who died at the Battle of Tizgo V in 101 ABY. It later came to be the tomb for all Centurions of the Order of Keltrayu.

History
Keltrayu died at Tizgo V in the process of saving both Rin Sakaros and the majority of the Royal Army, and Rin was so moved by his action and devastated by the loss that she determined to honor her apprentice in some conspicuous way. Keliso had been his favorite of the member worlds of the Golden Empire, so she decided to erect a monument there. While explaining her plans, the Prince Regnant of Keliso immediately offered her any land on the entire planet before she even had a chance to broach the topic of seizing the land herself.

The monument was completed in only a few months, despite the resources needed and the attention to detail in its artwork and architecture. Rin detailed an entire Massassi Cohort to assist with the project, and many hundreds of native Sev'laya were employed in the construction as well. Rin formally dedicated it in the final month of 102 ABY; she chose that occasion to also announce her decision that the Order of the Golden Empire would be renamed the Order of Keltrayu. Tariun Sakaros, Keltrayu's closest friend and Prefect of the Order, lit the eternal flame.

When Aquila Corcer and Melnanooin were killed by the slaver Zhin-Vel at Synno in 115 ABY, it was Tariun who suggested that both be entombed alongside Keltrayu. Rin authorized the creation of additional sections of Keltrayu's Tomb as final resting places for all her Centurions.

Design and features
Externally, Keltrayu's Tomb was simple marble, its gate accessible by a downward-angled ramp. Atop the tomb was a statue of Keltrayu himself, which added another six meters to the height of the building. Marble pillars perpetually draped with gray (the Sith color of mourning) lined the walkway to the tomb's entrance.

Inside, the tomb was designed as a circular hub, eventually with several tunnels leading off like spokes from a wheel; the access tunnel from the outside was the only south-facing tunnel. The central hub, which was over thirty meters wide, featured an altar dedicated to Keltrayu at the very center (Keltrayu's body had been vaporized when the shock tank he destroyed exploded, so there was no coffin or sarcophagus). This spot featured an eternal flame. The walls around the chamber were decorated with mosaics featuring scenes from Keltrayu's life, as well as the Emblem of the Order of Keltrayu.

When Rin authorized the entombment of other Centurions, additional "spokes" were dug off the main hub opposite the entrance tunnel. The bodies of Centurions were deposited in smaller tombs in the marble walls, essentially forming catacombs. The entrances to these catacomb tunnels were concealed behind stelae which listed the names of all the Centurions entombed behind them, along with the dates and locations of their deaths. Access to the tunnels (by means of concealed doors built into the stelae) was restricted to the Sovereign, members of the Order, and others with the personal permission of the Sovereign or Prefect (almost always only close family members of the fallen Centurions themselves).

Keltrayu's Tomb was under constant guard, night and day, by Massassi volunteers from the seventeen Massassi Cohorts. Appointment to the Tomb Guard was considered a prestigious honor.

Appearances

 * The Fall of Keltrayu