Akar Kesh (Jedi Renaissance)

Akar Kesh, or the Temple of Balance was one of nine Great Temples of the Jedi Order located on Talss continent of the verdant world of Tython. Erected atop a monolithic pillar-like rock formation, the Temple of Akar Kesh served as the Order's academy for instilling the ideals of balance in the Force among its students and learning the ancient ways of self-centering and inner peace. It was here that Journeyers learned to confront themselves and prepare to face their inner demons.

Je'daii Order
When the philosophers and scholars from across the galaxy first arrived on Tython in the age of the Infinite Empire, they were brought forth from the stars on giant pyramidal constructs called the Tho Yor. While the eight traveling Tho Yor scattered across the planet and landed in separate locations the largest ship, which had been waiting on Tython for the others to arrive, remained at its position over the great monolith of rock which jutted up from the marshy surface below. The soon-to-form Je'daii Order constructed the Temple of Balance within the sponge-rock which made up the monolith's porous structured and over time expanded it to include several floating landing platforms and a small sanctuary on the monolith's summit. The Temple served the Order for millennia until its ultimate abandonment during the Force Wars which saw the birth of the Jedi Order and their departure from Tython.

Reconstruction
Many millennia removed from the Force Wars, the Jedi Order saw itself weakened after a near fatal alliance with the Galactic Republic drew them into a deadly war. On the brink of extinction the Order appointed a new Grand Master, the Purpilian Tomac Moorcé, who would reinvigorate the Order and begin a new chapter in its history known as the Jedi Renaissance. Sending scouts to Tython, the High Council ordered an exploration of the ancient ruins of the Je'daii temples with the intent of rebuilding them and using them to bolster the existing Jedi academy system. Locating the ruins devoid of any traces of the Tho Yor, the Builder Corps and the Council of Site Preservation and Construction used ancient schematics and new technology to draw up plans for the Temple's rebirth.

As work was underway on Tython, the High Council selected the Human Jedi Master A'Sharad Hett to serve as the Temple Master for the facility. A proud man and a celebrated war hero, Hett had often battled for Balance during his own life; having been raised by Tuskens on Tatooine before entering the Order at a late age, the fierce soul of Hett made him a strong choice to lead others in the exploration of the idea of Balance in the Force. When Hett arrived on Tython for the first time, he took up residence within the Temple and began seeking out with the Force to understand why the largest Tho Yor had selected the monolith at its resting place so long ago in the past. Analyzing the rivers which flowed from the center of the monolith and over the side in six different streams to feed the valley basin far below, meditating on the way the air currents shifted around the stone column, and listening to the way the rock swayed in the wind, Hett felt the Force come alive and burst around him and ignite within him a storm of power and energy that could and would destroy all those not in Balance.

When the first Journeyers arrived at the Temple in 18 BBY they presented themselves to instructors for a brief introduction to the facility and an orientation to the subject matter they would be responsible for learning while at the Temple. Meditation chambers were available for reflection and introspection; dojos and exercise facilities for moving meditation; a small philosophical archives for study into methodology; and the pinnacle reflecting pool where Jedi could face themselves in the mirror.