Ilum Jedi Temple (Jedi Renaissance)

The Jedi Temple of Ilum was a series of ancient structures constructed by the early Jedi Order as they spread out from Tython and established training grounds across the galaxy. Because of Ilum was a wellspring of Force-energy, early Jedi were attracted to the world and quickly disocvered its treasure trove of Force-attuned crystals. Erecting several way houses and outposts across the planet, the planet came to house a massive Jedi temple built over an extensive subterranean network of caves in which the Order's rare lightsaber crystals grew. While the training grounds were eventually abandoned, Ilum's temple served as a mecca for Jedi seeking to construct their very own lightsaber. Following the Clone Wars, the Order once more began to use Ilum as a meditative retreat and scientific outpost where many Jedi lived and worked. Additionally, a Ranger Academy was established within the walls, serving as a base for Jedi Rangers operating on the Western fringe of the galaxy.

Construction
In the year 22,758 BrS, Jedi scouts Boz Nasscal and Vosca Borabrex were investigating the strange western barrier of the galaxy when they detected a disturbance in the Force. Using the Force to navigate their ship across space, the two Jedi eventually discovered a planet locked in an ice age. Descending into the blizzards of the planet, the Jedi found it to be a wellspring of natural Force-energy, radiating across space and time like a beacon; a world in perpetual Balance. Like the Force, the world's environment seemed violent and chaotic, but through an understanding of the ways of the Force, the Jedi recognized its beautiful, silent harmony. Exploring the world and detecting no obvious structures and no signs of habitation, their ship's life-form sensors found scant native fauna, save for a handful of roaming predators such as the fur-covered, reptilian s.

Calling in teams of experts, the Jedi began to dig into the crust of the planet and quickly confirmed what Borabrex had come to suspect: the planet was honeycombed with tunnels containing rare Force-attuned crystals. These crystals had been found to work well in the construction of lightsabers, serving as the focusing lens of the Order's symbolic sword of light. Up until this time, the Order was reliant on the caches found on the planet as the primary source of crystals. Adegan crystals, however, were extremely rare, even on Adega; this was not the case on Ilum. As the Jedi toiled in the dark, they realized the few cave systems found on Ilum were only a small portion of the planet's trove of treasures. Everywhere the excavation teams dug, they hit another cave system housing a wealth of crystals. Halting on excavation teams immediately, the Order quickly came to treasure the planet and the Jedi High Council had the foresight to declare sovereignty over the world and hide its existence, even from its ally the Galactic Republic. While several small enclaves and meditative retreats were built on the world, the Order concentrated its presence just south of the equator at the coordinates where Jedi Master escaped peril in 20,968 BrS. During the Cathar Jedi Master pilgrimage she found herself trapped within an icy cavern several kilometers out of comm range from nearest Jedi chapter house. Having fallen from a great height, Seta-Le's lightsaber was damaged and she was left stranded without a means of escape. Meditating on her predicament, Seta-Le was able to construct a device out of her broken lightsaber and a massive crystal formation ejecting from the ceiling of the natural cavern she was trapped within. Focusing a beam of light which entered the cavern through the area she fell through, Seta-Le was able to use the scattered beam of light to melt through the ice wall and escape the cavern.

After Seta-Le's story was told to the High Council, the Order decided to erect its main Temple on the location of Seta-Le's escape. Carving out the cavern entrance, the Order dedicated the Pharos to the Cathar Master's memory, installing the device of Seta-Le in the cupola outside the main entrance to the crystal caves. Future generations would focus light through the crystal in order to melt the ice flow which would block the main gateway inside the caves. Time in the caves was restricted to eight hours, as the ice flow would freeze over once more, blocking the doorway and trapping any Jedi who did not make it back in time within the caves with no way out. Erecting the Temple within the face of a massive cliff, the other chambers of the Temple surrounded the entrance to the caves. Overlooking a flat, windswept valley, the cliff was perpetually frozen and provided a solid and defensible location. With only a single side to protect, the isolated Temple would grow from its humble beginnings into a sprawling complex. Located directly over the mouth of one of the regions most expansive tunnel systems, the Temple would house not only pilgrims from Ossus searching for lightsaber crystals, but also Jedi Knights and Masters on meditative retreat. Popular among Jedi geologists, climatologists, philosophers and martial artists, the world offered something for everyone and the Temple came to house facilities to accommodate a wide range of studies. The most sacred areas of the Temple were carved from solid rock or remained largely natural, relying on the cave's natural architecture. However, other parts of the Temple were constructed to be climate controlled and accessible without the need for protective heatwear or excessive use of the Force for warmth. Elegant, yet spartan corridors were decorated with large crystalline formations displayed on pedestals and circular meditation areas were designed to harness the planet's natural Force-energy for a more productive and relaxed atmosphere. Protected from intruders by the Order' secrecy and Republic law granting the Jedi the right to isolate themselves on barren worlds, the Temple's population grew in solitude. Expansive training grounds and dojos were established in lofty, snow-covered towers and laboratories and observatories constructed far afield to ensure results were free of any interference or disturbances.

Training ground of the Jedi
While secrecy was employed and Republic discretionary laws utilized, these were not the only safeguards in place to protect the temple and the world from intruders. The hyperspace route to reach the world was wrought with perils and only a Forceful navigator could successfully reach the planet unscathed. As pilgrimages to the world became more frequent, the Order codified navigating the route to the planet as the first in a battery of tests for Padawans seeking to construct a lightsaber. The heyday of Ilum's Temple ran through the Subterra Era until the end of the Manderon Era with the conclusion of the Great Hyperspace War. Vast training grounds were built to accommodate an influx of Padawans from the western fringes of the galaxy, and Jedi Knights flocked to train on the isolated world. Jedi scientists studied the varied microorganisms which flourished deep within the crystal caves while geologists attempted to understand the growth cycle of the lightsaber crystals and theorize on how to construct better lightsabers.

While the pre-war decades saw the Temple teeming with activity of all kinds, the post-war years witnessed the downsizing of the staff and visitors as the Order consolidated its strength on Ossus. The Temple's Council which governed all activity on Ilum eventually disbanded and new students were few and far between. Most of the Order's presence was reduced and almost all outposts were shuttered and abandoned for good; lost to the world's fierce snow storms. A staunch honor guard was formed from the remnant Masters and Knights who remained. Jedi who sought to retire from active duty entered service at Ilum where they could reflect and meditate in peace while passing on their wisdom to pilgrim from Ossus. Occasionally, Jedi scientists would examine new crystal formations and growths to ensure the caves continued viability.

During Grand Master Odan-Urr's time, travel to Ilum was greatly diminished due to tensions with the s. With most of the Order cut off from the ice world, Ilum's few visitors came from the Dorin and Arkania academies. Ossus and other academies on the eastern side of the galactic plane were forced to rely on the caves of Adega and Dantooine in order to power their lightsabers. Following the devastating loss of Ossus during the Great Sith War in 3,961 BrS, Ilum became an even closer guarded secret. Despite fears that the Sith might attack the world, the Order was spared the loss of another treasured planet due to the secrecy surrounding the world. Because so few Jedi had visited the planet in the past several generations, even most Jedi had forgotten where the world was located. By the time of the Jedi Civil War a few short decades after the loss of Ossus, the Order had still not restored ties with their ancient snow-covered planet and the crystals kept there were safely hidden away. This would not always be the case though; word of Ilum had reached the ears of the Sith Emperor when he stole the memories of the captured Jedi Master Revan. Intrigued at the possibilities the Empire could exploit from the planet, the Emperor tasked his spies within the Order to discover its location so that when the Empire invaded the galaxy, they could make swift work of the lightly-defended world.

Lost to the Sith
In 3,618 BrS during the Great Galactic War, the resurgent Sith Empire attacked Ilum and slaughtered the few Jedi stationed there. Devastated by the loss of Ilum, the Order and the Republic were unable to spare the troops necessary to retaking a strategically unimportant world. Establishing a garrison on the world, the Sith left the Temple largely abandoned and instead turned their attention to strip mining the surrounding area for large crystal deposits. Secretly, the Imperials were designing new and highly sophisticated designs for shielding and cloaking technology using the crystals as the source of this breakthrough. Under the leadership of Grand Moff Ilyan Regus, the Empire used this stealth technology in its war against the Republic, and continued these practices even during the Cold War. While the Empire maintained control of the world, Jedi High Councilor Jaric Kaedan sent a task force of Jedi to establish a foothold on the world that would later assist in retaking the planet.

In 3,606 BrS the Empire launched a power grab on Ilum, attempting to force the small Republic-Jedi presence off world once more. Led by Moff Regus and Sith Lord Darth Arho, the Imperial forces killed Master Kaedan and were nearly successful in wiping out the remnants of the Order left there. Despite this seeming victory, Sith Lord Darth Malgus betrayed Arho and leaked vital information to the Republic's Supreme Commander Atrim Rans. Dispatching a Jedi Knight into the ruins of the old temple, the Order saw the death of Arho and the collapse of Malgus' attempted power grab at the title of Emperor. With the commanding Sith Lords dead, the Imperial presence on Ilum crumbled and their fleet quickly withdrew with what crystals they had managed to hold on to. With the planet secure, the Republic left a small garrison on the world to maintain control until the end of the war.

The Gathering Rite
When the war with the Sith concluded, the Jedi set to restore its ancient Temple and reclaim the crystal caves that were so vital to the construction lightsabers. As the Temple reopened for visitors in 3,557 BrS, Jedi flocked to see the restoration of the grand Temple there. As the Order gathered itself up from the ashes of war, pilgrimages began again; with Jedi Padawans from across the galaxy seeking a crystal from the caves. During the New Sith Wars, Jedi Lords harvested great troves of crystals from ancient outposts and chapter houses but respected the sanctity of the Temple's caves and left them in tact. The High Council, refusing to trust the heretical Jedi Grand Council of Lords, ordered the Temple shuttered and left an army of droids to defend it under the command of the droid Huyang. With the Temple closed to even those Jedi serving directly under the High Council, the Temple on Ilum was attended to only by the host of droids which resided there, maintaining its interiors and preserving its halls. When a group of Sith attempted to access the Temple in 1,788 BrS but were successfully defeated by the droids. Lured into an outlying cavern, the droids ambushed the Sith within the caves while the Force energy had a hallucinogenic effect on the minds of the invaders. Slaughtered to the last, the Sith did not attempt to attack the world again for the duration of the war.

When the Sith were soundly defeated in 965 BrS, the reformed Jedi High Council lifted the ban on travel to Ilum and restored the Temple. While not coming close to its former occupancy, the High Council codified travel to the world as part of a Padawan's necessary trials during their apprenticeship. Known as the Gathering, Jedi Masters would assemble on the planet with their Padawans during the warm seasons, avoiding the harshest storms and deepest drifts. Entering into the Pharos of Seta-Le, Padawans were required to adjust the Lucent in the ceiling to catch the dawn sun and melt the Great Ice Falls which covered the Gateway of the Caves. Entering alone, the Padawans would descend into the maddening depths of the caves, with only eight hours to explore before the Ice Falls once more covered the Gateway. The Masters would then wait in the presbytery at the center of the rotunda and track their students' as they journeyed into the dark. As each Padawan returned, they would accompany their Master into the Temple proper and immediately set about constructing their lightsaber without rest or nourishment. Within the Temple Apadana, the Padawan would enter into a guided meditation and assemble the lightsaber while deep within a trance. Lightsaber construction is a precise art, any misstep could spell disaster. When completed, the Padawan would ignite their newly created weapon as their master recited the ancient rites of the lightsaber ceremony. Once the ceremony ended, the pair were permitted to remain within the Temple for as long as they cared to, free to make use of any of the laboratory equipment or make modifications to their lightsabers using the stores available.

The Clone Wars
When the Clone Wars erupted between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in Year 13, access to Ilum was once more made treacherous for the thinly spread Jedi. Four months after the start of the war, the Confederacy attacked the world with a covert group of droids capable of camouflaging themselves. Entering into the Temple as Jedi Master Luminara Unduli led her Padawan Barriss Offee through her lightsaber construction ritual, the droids planted bombs throughout the main halls of the facility. Having been dispatched by agents of the Shadow Collective using intelligence provided by former Jedi-turned Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, the droids were programmed to destroy key portions of the Temple. Alerted through the Force to the intrusion, Jedi Unduli and Offee attacked the droids, cutting through them and sending their metal innards tumbling into the depths. While they prevented the spread of bombs throughout the entire complex, key bridges and mezzanines were destroyed within the Temple Proper, cutting off access to vast areas and leaving other sections seismologically unstable.

Despite their efforts, the two Jedi were trapped within the Temple under several tons of rubble and were unable to move it, even with the assistance of the Force. With the timely arrival of Jedi and her Padawan Whie Malreaux, Unduli and Offee were successfully rescue and the High Council alerted to the attack. Concerned that this assault could be signs of future incursions on Ilum, the High Council warned all Jedi against traveling to the world in fear that it could be a potential trap. Harvesting several hundred crystals from the world, the Order created a stockpile on Coruscant within the safety of the Jedi Temple where Jedi could create or fix their lightsabers. As the war progressed, the High Council deemed it time for an expedition to Ilum to investigate if the Confederacy had indeed been active on the planet. Jedi High Council member Rizann Mavr led the expedition, accompanied by several Padawans including Petro Suutrar, Zatt Contarus, Gungigarr, Ganodi Turon, Katooni Baralein, and Byph. Entering into the caves, all six Padawans retrieved their crystals while Mavr confirmed that the Temple was in fact secure and had not sustained any other assaults.

A New Dawn
When the Clone Wars ended with the death of the mysterious and elusive Darth Sidious, the High Council of the Jedi Order was reorganized and new leadership called for a time of expansion and renaissance among the Jedi. Refocusing on bringing the Force into Balance, Grand Master Tomac Moorcé spearheaded a campaign to reopen lost Jedi academies and Temples and see a sharp boom in the Order's membership. Tasking the Council of Site Preservation and Construction to restore the Temple on Ilum, several Jedi geologists expressed a keen interest in being stationed on the frigid planet. In Year 26 the Ilum Council was reformed and sat for the first time in over four millennia with Jedi Watchman Darrin Arkanian acting as the Headmaster of the Ranger Academy which opened within its halls. As a Ranger Academy, the Temple served as a refueling station and a base for Jedi Rangers who traveled the stars within the vicinity of the Ilum system. While sparsely populated within the first few decades of opening, the Temple and the Academy flourished after receiving an influx of Knights and Rangers in Year 90. As more and more Jedi were trained in the sciences, and the need for lightsaber crystals reached its height for the millennia, Ilum's role in the Order grew.

Layout
Constructed in the icy face of one of Ilum's frozen mountain cliffs, the Jedi Temple's exterior was snow-covered and bare in order for it to blend in to its surroundings. A sprawling complex with several entrances and towers, three ground level structures protruded from the cliff to allow entrance to pilgrims. The main entrance to the Temple was located at the Temple's northern most point and was concealed by two natural protrusions which obstructed the gateway from view. Flanked by a pair of towering statues depicting identical Human Jedi Masters, the entrance hall was long and cavernous, winding its way into the Temple proper. The main hall of the Temple was made of a natural stone, dug out by Jedi early in the Temple's history. It eventually met with the temperature-controlled halls of the Temple proper which were illuminated by overhead lighting and fashioned from offworld stone. The walls were dressed in warm oranges and reds, while long straight halls opened into circular chambers used for group meditation and discussion. Throughout the Temple, large and unique crystal structures were displayed on pedestals and radiated with Force energy. Throughout the Temple, many Jedi had taken to etching their personal histories into the natural stone, describing their lives and missions and skills in elegant stone carvings. Two secret entrances were constructed thousands of years after the Temple's construction. The first led directly into the Temple proper and was created as an escape route in the event of an invasion. The second was built into the cave systems as a precaution in the case of a cave-in or the freezing over of the Ice Falls. During periods of disuse, these halls were frequent nesting places of gorgodons and other beasts trying to escape the cold of the world.

The Temple Apadana was a cavernous chamber located on the cliff-face and served as the customary location of the lightsaber construction ritual. A twenty story room, the outer wall of the Apadana looked out upon the snow-covered valley that stretched for miles. The wall was an intricate web of heavily reinforced stained transparisteel that allowed light in, twinkling off of the lightsaber crystals growing out of the natural columns that lined the room. Several altars were carved from the rock and served as a place for visiting Padawans to conduct their lightsaber construction trance. A massive, winding staircase spiraled up from the heart of the chamber high into the room's dark ceiling, disappearing into the vast blackness. The stair led up through the inner wall of the chamber and along the walls of the Grand Abyss which separated the Apadana from the Temple proper. Delving deep into the cliff's heart, the great bridge reconnected with the temperature-controlled Temple proper and branched off towards the dormitories and meditation chambers. Also in this area, the Council chambers of the governing body of the Temple, and the classrooms, lecture halls, and study rooms of the academy. Within the western wing of the Temple was the Archives, which contained four sections: general knowledge, geology, lightsaber construction, and planetary sciences. From the Archives, access to the eastern wing high up into the mountain, nearing the surface of the clifftop. Here, large spires jutted out high into the frigid air and contained laboratories and meteorological research equipment. Here too, on the surface of the cliff, was the Temple small hangar. Containing snowspeeders and compact research vehicles, the hangars had little room for larger ships and transports, which typically landed on the valley floor.

The southern most location of the Temple was known as the Pharos of Seta-Le. A tower like structure, the Pharos served as the ceremonial entrance to the Crystal Caves. The presbytery of the chamber was ringed with small pyramids which formed a circle around the central altar. Two towering statues of lightsaber-wielding Jedi flanked the walkway up the altar while all around it, within the circle, stood tall obelisks crowned by flames frozen in stone. On the far side of the entrance stood the Great Ice Falls, a towering wall of sheet ice which fell from the ceiling. Once melted, the Falls revealed the Gateway of the Caves. The Ice Falls could only be melted by focusing sunlight from the dawn sun onto the face of the Falls using the Lucent. Created by Master Seta-Le, the Lucent was a series of crystals set into a device high High above the presbytery at the apex of the Pharos. When adjusted with the Force, the Lucent would catch the light from the skylight and shine it directly on to the Falls, melting it in a rush of water. While the Lucent would maintain this position, the natural movement of the sun allowed for the water to trickle back down, eventually freezing over the Gateway once more and sealing the caves away. Within the caves were tall and slender black rock pillars in the main hall; embedded in each were hundreds of small crystals that appeared to shimmer in the dim light. Spiraling ramps stretched into the darkness of the place, leading to seldom used rooms and construction galleries. The black stone swallowed all light in some places instead of reflecting it, while the crystals appeared to completely disappear the father one entered the caves. As time progressed and the Jedi Order grew, the many Jedi that visited the cave recorded their histories on its walls, expansive cave etchings that seemed to come to life during the Force-induced hallucinations many Jedi were known to succumb to while constructing their weapons.