Korriban was the sole planet in the Horuset system, located deep inside the Outer Rim Territories. The original homeworld of the Sith species and a sacred planet for the Sith Order, Korriban housed the tombs of many ancient Sith Lords; acting as a nexus of the dark side. After the Hundred Year Darkness, the remaining Dark Jedi interbred with the Sith species and ruled the Sith using their Force powers; however, after the Great Hyperspace War, Korriban was abandoned by the Sith Empire and became a barren world, with the Sith Order of Decreto themselves choosing also, not to return to the planet. Korriban continued to play an important role in galactic affairs, becoming home to many Pretender Sith Orders; Revan's Sith Empire, the Brotherhood of Darkness and the Disciples of Ragnos before it was eventually reclaimed by the Sith Order of Decreto in 61 ABY, during the Sith Crusade.
Under the Decreton Order, Korriban's importance in galactic affairs sharply rose, and by 64 ABY it had become capital to the reborn Sith Empire. During the latter part of Darth Abeonis' reign Korriban had, thanks to the Mass Terraforming Program, become a green and lush world around the equator, with the transformation expected to continue naturally.
Korriban was eventually conquered by the Zao tenj in 246 ABY, although it had been reclaimed by the Sith Order of Decreto by 300 ABY.
History[]
Early history[]
- For Korriban's history up to the Sith Crusade, see here.
Sith Crusade[]
In 61 ABY, the Sith Crusade which had raged throughout the Unknown Regions for the past five years finally reached the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, striking seven sectors at once and overwhelming the Alliance's defenses. The Sith swept through the GFFA's Outer rim holdings and had, within two months reached the planet Ruuria. The thought that the Sith might invade Korriban did not happen upon the command of the GFFA military, and as such the planet was ill-prepared for when the invasion finally came. The Jedi, however, were not so sure, and arranged for a force of Jedi to support the garrison on the planet. Despite the presence of the Jedi though, the planet still fell to the combined assault of both Darth Abeonis and Darth Adsec, who overwhelmed the planets Jedi defenders and forced their retreat. With Korriban once again under Sith control the Sith Knight Darth Micail, Regent of the Sith Empire, moved in to the old Sith Academy and took it as his Citadel. Thus began a massive reconstruction and development program wherein the heavily damaged city of Dreshdae was rebuilt, and multiple new cities were founded across the planets surface. At the Dark Lord's request, Micail also begun construction of geothermal power plants and water extraction facilities, which would allow Korriban's population to survive without a dependency on imports.
In the year 63 ABY civil war broke out within the Sith Order of Decreto; on one side was Darth Abeonis and the loyalist, against them were the Sith rebels led by the unidentified rebel Sith Lord. As part of Abeonis' inital campaign against them, the two Sith Knights Darth Micail and Darth Wyyrlok were chosen to cleanse Korriban of rebel sympathizers. What they discovered however, shocked the two Sith Knights greatly.
Happening upon a suspected Sith rebel, the two Knights discovered that their "rebel" was not, nor ever had been a member of the Sith Order of Decreto. Together, the two realized that they could well have uncovered a Sith splinter faction that had been in hiding for decades, ever since the Second Galactic Civil War. Taking a force of just under three hundred Sith Knights, Micail and Wyyrlok set about exterminating the "heretical" Sith faction. In a series of battles the Decreton Knights wiped out the Sith splinter faction, absorbing what little remained into the Sith Order of Decreto. Following the campaign Wyyrlok happened upon the leader of the heretic Sith – Darth Krayt – frozen in carbonite. Releasing Krayt from his carbonite sleep, Wyyrlok succeeded it bringing Krayt into the fold of the greater Sith Empire as well; greatly shaming Micail and damaging the Regent's reputation among his fellow Sith Knights and Lords for a time.
By 64 ABY, the planet was deemed free of rebel influence and, sitting deep enough within Sith controlled territory, that Darth Abeonis officially moved the Empire's capital to the planet. The Sith Council chamber, which had previously existed upon The Soiyo, was moved into the Regent's Citadel and as such, the planet became not only the capital of the Empire, but the government center as well.
Capital[]
Following the Sith Crusade end in 66 ABY Korriban remained the capital of the Empire, becoming the permanent residence of the Dark Lord whilst remaining home to the Regent. Within a year, Abeonis' Mass Terraforming Program had started galaxy-wide, with countless planets; including Korriban, Nerezza and others, having their ecosystems restored, often past that that existed before the outbreak of war.
In 74 ABY, following the conquest of Coruscant, discussions raged as to whether Korriban would remain the capital of the Empire, or if it would be moved to the newly conquered ecumenopolis. Despite the heated discussion Micail and Abeonis, the two most powerful individuals in the Empire – both of whom resided of Korriban – choose to keep the capital on Korriban, but agreed it would be best to shift many of the Empire's financial institutions to Coruscant. Regardless of the major shift in responsibilities though, Korriban continued to dominate galactic affairs, housing the embassies of many galactic powers; the Jedi Autocracy included, following their formation in 189 ABY.
For a brief period of time immediately following Darth Abeonis' death in 121 ABY, Korriban was abandoned by the Sith, who had once again erupted into civil war; this new Successors War begun with the massacre of the Sith Council, which by this point still resided within the Regent's Citadel on Korriban. During this period Darth Proditor, the usurper of the Sith throne, moved the Sith capital to the ancient homeworld of Ni, safe behind the frontlines, where it remained until 129 ABY when the war finally ended with victory for Darth Krayt's Sith Coalition.
Once again capital of the Empire, Korriban enjoyed a golden age of expansion, terraforming and political change which far out lasted the new Dark Lord, right up until the outbreak of the Zao tenj War in 246 ABY. That very same year the planet was conquered by the extra-galactic invaders, being reduced to rubble in the wake of their attack.
Fauna[]
Due to the planet's harsh terrain and dark side nexus, Korriban's native fauna was both vicious and cunning, at times including creatures such as the fierce terentateks, the bat-like Shyracks, Tuk'ata hounds and the Hssiss – dark side dragons. There was evidence that, at one point, the planet was home to an ape or primate-like species, although by the time the Sith Order of Decreto was founded the species was long gone. Following the beginning of the Mass Terraforming Program in 66 ABY alien fauna from various worlds was brought to Korriban to aid in the development of a new ecosystem; however, this did not limit the populations of the more dangerous native species to Korriban, instead just forcing them to inhabit the more desolate polar regions.