Eye of Ashlanae (Jedi Renaissance)

The Grand Jedi Temple was a massive complex erected by the Jedi Order on the planet Ossus on the slopes of the Eocho Mountains. Commissioned by Grand Master Tomac Moorcé following the end of the Clone Wars and the death of Darth Sidious, the Temple would come to serve as the headquarters of the Order and the new permanent home of the High Council, leaving behind their long-time residence at the Temple on Coruscant. Over the ensuing centuries Ossus thrived as the home of Jedi wisdom, encouraging visitors from across the Galactic Republic, Confederacy of Independent Systems, and other governments to visit and study at the the Great Library and the the Grand Temple's artwork and statuary.

Heart of the Order
"The Temple will serve as the new heart of our Order. A place of calm, quiet meditation, Jedi will pass through the halls in quiet reflection as they go out into the galaxy to serve the Force and promote justice and the prosperity to all citizens, not just within the confines of the Republic."

- Grand Master Tomac Moorcé''s proclamation to the entire Order at the Conclave of Coruscant.

Following the end of the Clone War, newly appointed Grand Master Tomac Moorcé announced his plans to restore the planet Ossus as the homeworld of the Jedi Order, removing the Jedi academy from the Republic's capital and placing it far from the political corruption which festered in the heart of the galaxy. Closer to the lawlessness of the Outer Rim, Moorcé explained that the Order was designed to serve those in need, not those within the government and therefore a Temple on the fringes of space would better serve those in need. His announcement of the move was met with thunderous applause by his Jedi peers and construction began immediately on Ossus using monies from reparations from the Confederacy.

Over the ensuing months, the Order looked to the construction of their new Temple as the dawning of a new era for the Order. The Temple's structure also signified a change in the way of life for all within the Order. While the Temple would have plentiful sleeping and living chambers, the Order's members would largely occupy the residential neighborhoods within the city of Knossa while traveling up to the Temple for meditation and reflection before and after missions.

Exterior
Constructed on the western slopes of the Eocho Mountains, the Grand Temple was made of natural stones and glass taken from the landscape of Ossus. The entire complex consisted of fourteen towers: the five Great Domes, three security watchtowers, the High Council Tower, the Oracle tower reconstructed from the ruins on Pelgrin, the two Towers of the Moons, the Edifice of Heroes, and the Sword of the Jedi. Each tower was constructed of natural, pale stone and adorned with stone statues of Jedi Knights and Masters from all eras. Connected by stone and iron bridges, the Temple sported many exterior courtyards and hanging gardens.

Entry Plaza
Perched high over Knossa, a winding staircase was carved into the slopes leading from the entry pavilion arch and through two security towers before emptying into a broad courtyard at the gates of the main entrance. Flanked by bronzium statues of long-dead Jedi heroes, the courtyard served as a place for Jedi to gather informally before and after leaving the Temple, and also a ceremonial setting for the annual gathering of newly appointed Knights to be welcomed into the Order by the High Council on New Year's Eve. Upon passing through the main entrance, visitors entered into the massive Hall of Meditating Masters, a two-level hall which stretched from the main entrance completely through the Eocho Mountains and out onto the eastern cliffs upon which was constructed the Lonely Tower known as EastWatch. Lining either side of the Hall were statues of Jedi, representing every known Force-sensitive species in the galaxy, kneeling in meditation. At the mouth of the hall knelt the largest statue, a member of the Sith species, reminding each who gazed upon it that the Sith species once were trained as Jedi, and could once more be trained in the future.

High Council Tower
Located atop the main entrance structure was a slender tower which housed the headquarters of the High Council. Surrounded by a square courtyard atop the entry building, the tower's exterior walls were carved in the form of twelve hooded Jedi Masters supporting the tower's domed apex. Within the apex chamber was the open-air Council chamber, a circular room designed to resemble the chambers on Coruscant. Retractable windows allowed Ossus' cool air to blow through the room while native flora draped the sills. The High Councilor's private chambers were located on one of the tower's lower levels, with each pair or rooms sharing a large refresher designed to resemble a cave and equipped with showers invoking the flowing waters of a waterfall. Between the sleeping chambers and the Council Chambers were private offices for each Master where they conducted meetings and their official duties within the Order. A large circular chamber served as a Situation Room and another as a joint conference hall where Councilors worked out treaties or planetary agreements over a broad holotable.

Central Tower
The central tower was a large, barrel-shaped tower with a great domed ceiling made of green transparisteel and bronzium metal supports. The largest of the towers, the central tower housed a massive greenhouse much like the Room of a Thousand Fountains on Coruscant. A central waterfall flowed into a wide lake and dense trees formed a mini-forest within the tower. Jedi could visit this place instead of straying outside of the city walls to meditate and focus over the well-spring of Force energies which flowed from the Temple and the city below. Directly beneath the greenhouse was a portion of the Hall of Meditating Masters just beyond the Temple's entrance. On either side of the Hall's walls, the tower was packed with natural soil which serve as the underground portion of the garden above. Entry to the subterranean garden was granted through tunnels dug by burrowing species of Jedi from the garden level or through the small wooden doors in the Hall of Meditating Masters which deposited users into earthen caves with a vast network of tunnels leading up to the garden level surface.

Conclave Tower
The Conclave Tower was one of the five Great Domes, located on the northwestern side of the central tower and topped with an obsidian dome with golden supports. Within the upper most chamber was a large auditorium capable of holding up to one million individuals and a central podium which could seat the twelve members of the High Council and the five members of each the First Knowledge, Reconciliation and Reassignment Councils. The podium's summit was reserved for the Speaker, while a narrow stone staircase led from the summit to the chamber's floor. The lower levels of the tower were dominated by a reception hall where individuals could prepare before entering the Chamber of Conclave.

Tower of Knowledge
The Tower of Knowledge was the southern domed tower of the Grand Temple and occupied by the largest holomap of the galaxy in existence. Taking up the entire dome, the holomap projected around the rotunda while detachable platforms lifted from the floor on repulsorlifts so users could float between the stars and planets and interact with the Archives interface system. Tied in with the Great Library's astrogation charts and star maps, the chamber was kept up to date constantly and could also be programmed to show historical star maps and future projections.

Tower of Glass
The Tower of Glass was the smallest of the Great Domed towers and sported a dome of diamond crystals and silver supports. The interior walls of the tower were made of hundreds of different glasses while the floors were made from an intricate construction of glass and durasteel. Walking through the Tower of Glass was a trial many Jedi undertook before departing and returning from a mission; to pass along its narrow halls without shattering the glass and plummeting to a very painful death through levels of glass was a frightening challenge but one which required balance, focus, and calm; all of the things necessary to complete a mission and live as a Jedi.

Dormitory tower
The eastern most tower, the Great Domed dormitory tower was home to the residential complex which housed visiting Jedi. With gymnasiums, refectories and meditation chambers available throughout the day and night, the dormitory tower was primarily used by Jedi who did not regularly stay on Ossus and made pilgrimages to the world between missions.

Communications center
Located within the northeastern domed tower, the communications center was the home of Jedi Command and the massive Jedi beacon which connected all Jedi and their facilities together. Each level housed a command center which was divided into a twelve-level pyramid command structure which assigned priority to each communications cable sent through to the Order. The chief communications specialist oversaw Command and ensured the High Council was kept appraised of all situation reports coming in from active Jedi in the field. During the two month-long Humid Seasons every year, the dense cloud cover made communication with the outside galaxy impossible and the communication center shut down until the second half of summer resumed.

EastWatch and the security towers
Three security towers were strategically placed within the Temple to protect it in the case of invasion. The first two were located a varying intervals along the entry stairs which climbed from the entry pavilion at the base of the Eocho Mountains and were lightly furnished with a group of SecuriCorps agents stationed at each. The most impressive tower was the EastWatch tower by the great sea, located on the eastern end of the mountain range. Perched at the very end of the Hall of Meditating Masters, EastWatch's base was open air with a low, stone balustrade separating the tower interior from the seaside cliffs. During violent storms, the crashing waves would break against the cliffs and seawater would rush across the tower's marble floors and into the Hall. A lone sentry was stationed at the tower and was responsible for standing watch against attack from sea. Despite being a largely symbolic position, the Captain of EastWatch was highly respected for their dedication to live such an isolated existence by the sea. On the top of the tower was a large revolving lamp which signaled to approaching water or space craft that they were nearing the cliffs.

Oracle tower
The Oracle was an ancient, mysterious and unusual device originally located on the planet of Pelgrin and regarded as one of the oldest artifacts known to the Order. Created by the Pelgrin species over two million years before the Battle of Yavin, the Oracle tower stood ten stories in height and was made up of Dieuw tree wood which was further supported by unknown metals. The construct possessed a complex mechanical network consisting of gears, switches, and pendulums. The Oracle itself was located deep inside a chamber within the central shaft which reached from the base of the facility to its peak. Though it had remained a mystery before the Clone Wars, the Oracle at Pelgrin was known to have been discovered at approximately 3,032 BBY by a scientist from the Republic known as Ermin Phin-Mar along with an exploration team. Though it was discovered, the device was not operational at the time but from examination he concluded that it was created as an astronomical device. Phin-Mar also concluded that it was held by the Pelgrin people with a deep religious and symbolic nature within their culture. The Jedi Order later dispatched Shannur Darkstar to aid the exploration team in the study of the device. It was then discovered that the Oracle actually possessed a deep connection with the Force after she was meditating in the central chamber, when the machine came to life. It was deduced from this that the Oracle reacted to Force-sensitives, though there was no evidence that the Pelgrin possessed such an ability. Furthermore, the Oracle required a strong Force user to actually operate the device.

It was, at this time, that the nature of the Oracle was revealed and where it gained its name as Darkstar received a vision of a great battle. She was not the only one as other Jedi who had arrived on the planet had also received visions of the future and rumors spread that the ancient Pelgrin foresaw their own destruction long ago, even before the threat that would have caused it surfaced. However, this was simple speculation at the time as nothing indicated the fate of the Pelgrin people. Due to the powerful nature of the Oracle, the Jedi Order requested that the planet's access be restricted, which was challenged by many scientists who believed that the Jedi were attempting to keep the construct for themselves. he Republic sided with the Jedi after several investigations were carried on the Oracle. After that time, the Jedi maintained a log of every vision that was received and decades later those visions came true. Certain visions took millennia to occur such as the one received by Shannur Darkstar making the Oracle a treasure of the galaxy. However, tragedy would strike as the Oracle was later destroyed by pirates who were secretly working for Darth Sidious who feared that the device would reveal his plans to destroy the Jedi in the future.

Discovering notes related to the Oracle, Chief Librarian Jerec dispatched a team to Pelgrin to search through the ruins and recruit the natives to assist in its reconstruction. Agreeing to rebuild the tower on Ossus where it could be protected, the Pelgrinians used the ruins of the original Oracle to restore the complex machine to operating status. Rebuilt on the southern side of the central dome, the Oracle would be consulted frequently by members of the High Council and other Jedi alike to help focus their visions and gain assistance in divining the future.

Towers of the Moons
Two towers located high on the Eocho Mountains, the squat towers were built in alignment with the patterns of the planet's two moons. Both had flat, round ceilings made of lunar moon stones, creating a lens through which the light of the moon could be focused to illuminate each tower's massive reflecting pools. The effect of the light on the pools was believed to have a healing effect and caused more moon stones to form within the pool's basin. Healers would then collect the stones and use them within the Temple of Healing locate off of the Grand Promenade down in Knossa.

Edifice of Heroes
The tower known as the Edifice of heroes was a pentagonal-shaped tower which was decorated along its exterior with the likenesses of several hundred Jedi. Inside the tower served as temple to the Jedi of the past with a depiction of every known Jedi to have ever served the Order arranged by era. Meticulously crafted by Jedi artisans using the vast knowledge stored in the Great Library, holocrons, personal journals, and Force writing, the collection was made up of oil paintings, sculpted busts, statues, holographic replicas and more exotic mediums such as water or smoke. The nature of the exhibit meant that the collection would continue to grow indefinitely, and thus the tower delved deep underground and had additional storage capacity in larger halls at its base.

Sword of the Jedi
The Sword of the Jedi was the name of the mountain-top tower located just south of the Towers of the Moons, the tower itself was intricately carved so as to look like the hilt of a lightsaber standing straight up with the emitter nozzle aimed skyward. At night the tower could project a shaft of blue light into the night's sky to give the appearance of an activated lightsaber. The interior of the tower was a museum to the history and mechanics of the lightsaber and hosted the most expansive lightsaber construction facility within the Order rivaled only by the Temple on Ilum. The lightsabers of countless Jedi were stored here when not placed within the Edifice of Heroes, the Hall of Meditating Masters or within another monument elsewhere.