Jedi Grand Academy (Jedi Renaissance)

The Jedi Grand Academy on Ossus was a towering stone structure erected by the Jedi Order to serve as their primary praxeum following the conclusion of the. Consisting of four above-ground ziggurat buildings and a massive underground facility, the Academy served as the training grounds for all Initiates within the Order until the time they were selected as Padawans. The Grand Academy campus was home to the Acolyte Academy which was housed within its eastern ziggurat structure. The Academy was led by an administrative Council made up of the heads of the primary departments and the Headmaster.

Academy campus
Nestled within a clearing near the edge of the jungle, the Academy campus was isolated form the rest of Knossa due not only to the jungle but the river which flowed just north of it. To reach the Academy, travelers would cross the river at a small ford before embarking into the jungle along the Crooked Way. A winding path which traversed the jungles many natural features, the roadway was designed to force all who entered the grounds to slow down and enjoy nature's beauty. At the final leg of the path's approach to the main campus, visitors were forced to find their way across a small stream where the stepping stones were hidden beneath the water. Once crossed, the path passed through Clarity Gate, a trapezoidal gate fronted by a tranquil courtyard which featured a small fountain. Every visitor to the grounds was required to meditate at this gate before entering the academy grounds, usually while focusing their attention on the fountain. There were no exceptions to this rule, and Temple Guards were stationed at either side of the gate to ensure that the ceremonial practice was kept.

The Crooked Way then opened on to the main campus which was crowned by the impressively large ziggurats of the Grand Academy. While the main building was the largest in both height and sheer size, the two auxiliary structures to the east and west of it reached almost to the treetops, smoke winding toward the sky in a narrow column from their rooftops. Not visible from the entrance was a fourth ziggurat identical to the two on either side of the main building which blocked the line of vision. The Crooked Way divided into several different tree and bush-lined pathways which led to and from the academy buildings. Small pavilions were erected in spots, specifically placed so as not to obstruct the view of the main buildings. In the rear of the campus, several training grounds were erected around the auxiliary ziggurats. Initiates were encouraged to practice Force-aided leaps, launching themselves over set obstacles, such as a three-meter cross rays and boulders; on the opposite side of such emplacements were repulsorpads that caught the Initiates before they hit the ground. The younger students who could not partake in jumping exercises, played small games such as mind-tag with nerfs, encouraging the development of persuasive abilities. On another platform, the eldest apprentices practiced deflecting live blaster bolts, an activity they would continue to practice with remotes and droids. Closer to the main academy building, a sunken basin lined with a walkway served as a place to practice centering exercises. Apprentices would meditate in the basin while classmates or instructors stood above on the walkway throwing insults, food, and balls down upon the children. Other versions existed, all with the same purpose. Fasting while others ate in front of them, and not laughing while relentlessly being tickled were some of the many tests used to train detachment. The two largest and most complex fields were located in depressions on either side of the southern ziggurat. The southeastern pit was set with traps, hazards, and obstacles for the game while the other field was plagued by several different, increasingly dangerous obstacles including beast pits for the game of. During Skorch games, two teams of the oldest apprentices used rackets, the Force, and stun-blasters to pass jet-balls between each other, avoiding being hit. An apprentice or knight served as referee who could cause one team great losses or wins. The rules for this game were arbitrarily decided by the opposing teams; the purpose was to test the mediating and analytic thinking skills of the referee.

Passing under the jungle canopy, the Crooked Way continued out of sight of the academy where several smaller paths snaked off into the jungle to meet up with small mazes and ropes courses. Clearings also existed where instructors taught private lessons amid the trees and wildlife. At the termination of the Crooked Way was, a small body of water which reflected the night sky beautifully during evening hours and was a popular, isolated meditative retreat. A small pavilion was located several meters away from the pond which housed an enclosed lecture hall used exclusively for night sessions. Just out of sight of the pond stood the ominous stone pylons which made up the sonar fence which enclosed the city. Passing through the fence was easy for advanced Jedi who could control their auditory senses and block out the hazardous sonar projected by the fence, but to the unwary traveler the fence could cause a black out with a light headache upon returning to consciousness or in the worst cases, ruptured blood vessels and death. Panels were located on each tower to turn off the fence, but doing so was restricted to Masters or security officers.

Grand Academy building
Located within the southern district of the city of Knossa, the Grand Academy was constructed within a wide clearing within the great jungle which bordered the city. In the shadow of the impressive Eocho Mountains, the Academy campus allowed for many scenic vistas and beautiful forest paths which connected it with the city on the northern side of the river. The Academy was designed to be serene and reflective, and served as the perfect center of Jedi training and coordination. Made exclusively from natural Ossan stone, the main temple building consisted of two ziggurat structures; one mighty pyramid served as the base while the second was inverted on its head and balanced on its head. The main entrance to the building was at the top of a wide staircase that sloped up the ziggurat's northern face, while similar staircases led into the building on the other three sides. Additional stairs led further up the exterior of the complex. Atop the first pyramid was a trapezoidal structure of reflective transparisteel which housed the massive greenhouse and gardens of the Temple. At each of the corners of the Garden Level were cylindrical supports for the inverted pyramid which rested atop the Garden Level; within each support were a series of hangars with retractable landing platforms that allowed cargo to be offloaded into the Temple and for the personal transports of Masters. The inverted ziggurat structure was similarly made of stone, with a flat rooftop which served as a landing platform for larger vessels as well as a meditative retreat and sparring arena. The roof served also as a place where older students were sent for the, and many found it a place where they could escape the hustle and bustle of the academy proper.

Within the Academy's main building, the walls were made of stone and the labyrinthine passages lit by torches. Braziers heated the rooms and towering statues stared down at students as they passed. The atmosphere of the Grand Academy was a departure from the openness of the Temple on Coruscant, but was designed to drive home the monastic lifestyle of the Order. Another reason for the darker atmosphere was to symbolize the Jedi Path as leading a Jedi out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of the Force. The base pyramid contained classrooms and instruction halls, all stemming off from interior courtyards and common rooms in a pinwheel design. Cafeterias and a honeycomb of meditation chambers could be found on each of the base pyramid's thirty levels. At the top of the base structure was access to the Garden Level, a forty-four meter high greenhouse which included a waterfall and a lake. Similar to the at the Coruscant Temple, the Garden Level offered a safe environment for younger students to learn about nature and a peaceful meditative retreat for more senior Initiates and staff. Turbolifts ran from the top of the base pyramid up past the hangars and into the inverted pyramid through the four support arms located at each of the corners of the Garden Level's exterior.

The inverted pyramid was known as the Upper Levels and contained the offices of the Academy's instructors and their sleeping quarters. What classrooms that were located there were reserved for advanced students; several sparring rooms and refectories serviced these floors and many connected to the main hall. The main hall of the Upper Levels consisted of four different halls which emptied into a central chamber. This vast room was known as the Fount of the Force and contained a massive display of the Four Elements of the Force: Life-giving fire, the Healing powers of water, the Strength of earth, and the Balance of nature. Each of these elements represented a quality of the Force and were displayed between each of the halls in the central chamber. A billowing fire coiled up the northwestern wall, leaving no scorch marks and moving as if alive within its confined space, emanating from itself and creating no smoke. Water, serpentine and elegant created beautiful displays in the south eastern corner. In the northeast corner of the room was a wild tornado of vines and leaves, flowers and seeds swirling around in slow motion; chaotic harmony given form. The southwestern corner contained the element of earth, a pillar of mighty stone and mud which pulsated with lightning and bubbled and sprouted protrusions in a magnificent display of the ever-changing world. The center of the chamber housed a four meter-wide glass dome which contained all of the elements insync; a pit of lava, fiery earth, broiled at the base of the pit and threatened to overflow the display and out into the chamber. Above the lava and contained by the glass dome was a swirling, beautiful cloud of violets and greens, a broiling mixture of water and nature sending lightning down into the lava pit. This self-contained Force storm was the highlight of the upper-levels and created by Jedi artisan Ish'tay. Located within the Academy's northeastern corner was the Grand Academy's administrative Council Chamber. A round chamber, the windowless room had six arched doorways five of which were situated behind one of the corresponding chairs in the room. These archways led down ramps which led to the level below and to the private chambers of each of the Councilors. The sixth arch led in from the same level and was used by visitors to the Council chamber. The walls of the chamber were adorned to represent the current roster of the Council; during Chief Seer Tavari's tenure on the Council, the third chair was removed and the area encased in a large crystalline shell, allowing Master Tavari to float into the chamber from his chambers below in his own natural atmosphere.

Auxiliary Ziggurats
The Academy's campus was home to four ziggurats in total; the main academy building and three smaller pyramids spaced one hundred meters from the main building's east, south and west faces. Each structure was designed nearly identically, carved from the same stone as the main building and built in the same stepped pyramid design with a flat rooftop. In the center of each of the wide roofs was a large brazier made of welded, blackened durasteel whose flame was fed by by a long-lasting fuel mined from the nearby mountains. Each of the buildings had a main entrance at the base of their norther face and were all devoid of any outside statuary save for the stone lightsabers placed at intervals along the steps of the western ziggurat.

The western and southern ziggurats were home to additional facilities used by students of the Grand Academy. Containing the huge sparring arena, the western pyramid was home to the classes which focused on lightsaber and weapons usage. Containing dojos, holographic training rooms and obstacle courses, the chambers rooms within the Gymnasium helped a Jedi build their endurance. Locker rooms and showers were placed strategically off of each of the exercise chambers, as well as relaxation rooms and hydration stations. A kuddaka chamber similar to the one erected on Coruscant was constructed here to house the ; a series of obstacle course to test reaction time and a miniature cityscape to practice urban warfare. It was within this facility that the annual Academy Apprentice Tournament was primarily held, using specially constructed obstacle courses on the rooftop or within special tournament chambers that ensured practice with the specific obstacles was not possible. The southern ziggurat served the Order as a research facility. Housing the Academy's Archives, laboratories and analysis rooms, it was here that studious students would spend most of their time outside of classes or the sparring chambers. Connected with the Great Library on the other side of Knossa, the facility was open to both students and instructors, but restricted to outsiders. The eastern ziggurat was home to the Acolyte Academy, a self-contained academy all in itself. Students who attended this school need only use the facilities in the academy proper and used equipment unique to its training purposes. The inside of this academy was the least spacious, lacking the wide plazas and massive halls common to the other academy buildings. The classroom sizes were small and encouraged Acolytes to constantly study and work in a condensed timeframe, forcing them to tackle lessons quickly and advance on to the next level.