Kor'ethyr Academy [Academy of Korriban] [AoK] [WIP]

[Darth Caedes]

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a clearly organized and well thought out Academy of Korriban that will encourage writers to explore interesting scenarios with student/ acolyte and teacher characters alike. The ultimate goal is to create a framework for more rich and diverse storytelling on Korriban in general.
• Image Credit: [ TBA ]
• Canon:
  Academy of Korriban — The canon Academy of Korriban.
  Korriban — The canon world.
• Permissions: [ N/A ]
• Links:
  Empires, New & Old — After the reclamation of Korriban, planetary leader Darth Caedes and his Council of Lords move to restore Korriban.
  Nexus of the Sith King — A massive and powerful dark side nexus at the 'heart' of Korriban spreads out beneath the Academy for miles.
  Soft Reopening — Korriban's Lord Seer, Madrona A’Mia escorts the detained Darth Strosius through a Kor'ethyr Academy under construction.

SETTING INFORMATION

• Military Base Name: Kor'ethyr Academy (lit. "The Shifting Citadel" in the Sith tongue)
• Classification: Military Academy
• Location: Korriban
• Affiliation: The Sith Order; Co-Founders Madrona A’Mia & Darth Caedes
• Population: Moderate
• Demographics:
  
  House Tuk'ata (Generalists)
• Students from House Tuk'ata forego any emphasized specialization in favor of a more traditional, well rounded Sith education. Students in House Tuk'ata are well known for their martial and saber skills, traditional understandings of the dark side of the Force, aptitude with the philosophical tenants of the ancient Sith, telekinetic prowess, and even such famed skills as Force lightning.
  
  House Rakghoul (Warriors)
• Students from House Rakghoul choose to specialize in the arts of warfare. Students in House Rakghoul are well known for their martial, saber, unarmed, and exotic weapon combat skills, their aptitude with the more destructive and/or defensive dark side Force talents, skills in assassination, fighter piloting, and even rigorous training in both ground-force military and naval/fleet war-tactics.
  
  House Derriphan (Scholars)
• Students from House Derriphan choose to specialize in the more scholarly arts of the Sith lineage. Students in House Derriphan are well known for their mastery of philosophy and history (in subjects such as light side, dark side, exotic traditions, and Jedi and Sith cultures, etc.), sorcery, alchemy, healing, tactics, religion, the sciences, leadership, and political diplomacy.
  
  
• Accessibility: Semi-hidden. Mobile.
• Description: Carved directly into the crust of Korriban, this vast Academy campus stands as a symbol of the Sith's unyielding determination and ultimate dominion over the ancient home world. Founded at the end of the Ashlan's occupation of the world, Kor'ethyr quickly became a vital community center at the heart of Vardin, city of Lords and capital of the Xerthûllan continent. Build directly atop the Nexus of the Sith King, Kor'ethyr serves as a direct conduit to the planet's sprawling leylines, granting the Academy the unique ability to travel and relocate.
  
  Kor'ethyr's architecture, hewn from the razed stones of Korriban's desert floors, is a stark blend of the traditional and the modern, blending naturalistic scenery with sophisticated artifice. Towering spires, intricately carved reliefs, and foreboding archways breathe life into the otherwise dangerous Academy grounds. Kor'ethyr represents not only Korriban's innovative successes within the realm of the physical world, but also critical successes in the spiritual realm(s), also.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• The Nexus Spire: At the heart of the Academy stands the imposing Nexus Spire, a towering obsidian structure which channels the dark side of the Force from the nearby Nexus of the Sith King. Sith apprentices often gather here to meditate and draw power from the Force, under the watchful eye of their instructors.
  
  
• The Shifting Courtyards: Kor'ethyr's courtyards are not fixed in space, and are instead ever shifting. They are a manifestation of the Academy's unique connection to Korriban's planetary leylines in the Force. These courtyards move throughout the Academy grounds, providing a constantly changing training environment for the students.
  
  
• The Hall of Histories: This library is a vast repository of Sith knowledge, holocrons, and rare artifacts. It holds the recorded histories of countless Sith Lords and dark side cultures through the galaxy, their teachings, and the secrets of unnatural magicks. Only the most promising apprentices gain access to its forbidden knowledge.
  
  
• The Dark Alchemy Chambers: Hidden within the depths of Kor'ethyr, these chambers are where Sith alchemists and sorcerers from House Derriphan practice their dark arts. Apprentices come here to create Sith artifacts, brew potent potions, and study the art of bending the Force to weave magick.
  
  
• The Shadowed Arena: A massive amphitheater where Sith duelists and warriors engage in combat to prove their prowess and resolve disputes. The arena is often bathed in the eerie glow of red lightsabers, and the cheers of the spectators echo with dark enthusiasm. Students belonging to House Rakghoul carve out much of their social hierarchy upon these grounds.
  
  
• The Meditation Gardens: A seemingly serene area where Sith apprentices learn to harness their emotions and fuel their power with meditation. Hidden among the beautiful flora are traps and subtle dangers intended to test a Sith's connection to the Force, and to the world around them.
  
  
• The Abyssal Tombs: These subterranean crypts house the ancient remains of long-dead Sith Lords, their powerful spirits lingering in the shadows. Ambitious apprentices may venture into the tombs to seek guidance or dark relics.
  
  
• The Veiled Cloister: A cloistered enclave reserved for the most promising and ambitious apprentices. Here, they receive advanced training and study esoteric Sith philosophies under the guidance of experienced Masters.
  
  
• The Leyline Observatory: This tower (surpassed only by the Nexus Spire) provides a vantage point to observe the ever-shifting leylines of Korriban. It is a place of study for those interested in the unique geographical and mystical properties of Korriban, or the nexus' thaumaturgical interactions with the Netherworld of the Force.
  
  
• The Chamber of Trials: Deeply subterranean, these chambers bore through sprawling caverns of kyber crystal, stretching ever closer to the Nexus of the Sith King. The dark side of the Force thrums with power here. These chambers are a place where apprentices face a series of grueling tests, both physical and mental, to prove their versatility and skill. These trials often push them to their limits and beyond. Students of House Tuk'ata stake much of their social hierarchy on their ability to return from the Chamber of Trials.
  
  
• The Council Spire: The central chamber where the ruling council of Sith Masters convenes to discuss matters of the Academy, the Sith Order, and the dark side's machinations throughout the galaxy. This spire overlooks the student's dining area, where often War Games are proctored by professors of tactics.
  
  
• Additional Miscellaneous: Main Foyer, Common Rooms (three total, one per house), Grand Dining Hall, Barracks and Private Chambers, Various Lecture Halls, etc.

SECURITY
High

• Dark Side Wards: Kor'ethyr's sprawling Academy grounds are surrounded by potent Force-based wards, runes, and arcane barriers intended to deter intruders and repel unwanted visitors. These wards are maintained by the Sith Masters and venerate a variety of dark side cultures, making them difficult for non-Sith to bypass.
  
  
• Guardian Jen: Conjured and conditioned to serve Darth Caedes , the Sithspawn Jen'ari and other, similar dark side-infused fiends roam Kor'ethyr's grounds. They act as both a natural deterrent to intruders and a security force to eliminate threats.
  
  
• Jen'koshû Dread Lords: Kor'ethyr houses a force of elite, undead Sith warriors known colloquially as "Dread Lords." They are charged with protecting the Academy's inner sanctums, including the Hall of Histories and the Council Spire. These highly skilled Force users are armed with alchemical sith blades of war and serve as the last line of defense against intruders.
  
  
• Leyline Shifting: Kor'ethyr's unique ability to shift its location via the planetary leylines provides a unique security measure. In times of crisis, the Academy can relocate to an unknown position, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to locate it.
  
  
• Force-Activated Locks: Many of the Academy's important chambers and repositories can only be accessed through the use of the Force. This ensures that only those who are strong in the dark side can gain entry.
  
  
• Force Suppression Fields: In certain areas of the Academy, Force suppression fields are used to neutralize the use of the Force. These fields are deployed in case of a security breach to prevent rogue Force users from causing damage.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Following the Sith Order's reclamation of Korriban, as well as the Sith Holy Worlds of Ziost and Dromund Kaas, and their subsequent, collective reformation into the Sith Order's Vassal State, Darth Caedes was risen to King of the world and tasked with its complete restoration. After cleansing Korriban of its Ashlan Crusader inhabitants, and indeed the historical stain of their heretical, light-sided occupancy, the King and his elected Council of Lords set about to renew the world and repopulate its barren continents and razed cities.

Drawing heavily upon the population(s) of Sith Order member worlds (as well as from notably unaligned worlds like Falleen), Korriban's primary continents of Thalassar and Xerthûl were the first to be re-established and re-populated. Community centers and military infrastructure sprung up like wildfires across the planet, built beneath the oversight of galactic-renown architects and social leaders, and using the inexhaustible workforce provided by the King's servile Jen'ari army. Meanwhile, the King and his Lords conducted numerous planet-wide rituals designed to draw the ancient world back into its place within the shadows of the dark side. In this capacity, and in alignment with various environmental restoration projects, the leylines of the world were stitched back together, connecting Korriban's dozens-upon-dozens of dark sided nexuses like so many interconnected river systems, all finally flowing harmoniously together once more.

Of these newly arisen community centers, Korriban's Traveling Academy (formally, Kor'ethyr Academy), also known as the Academy of Korriban (AoK), or the Shifting Citadels, was foremost. Hewn into the very stone of Korriban, or else built with terraforming, geomantic Force sorceries, Korriban's Sith Academy quickly became a world-wide rallying point for the newly placed inhabitants of the world, who lauded it as an international source of pride, modern culture, militaristic protection, and ancient Sith tradition. Moreover, the Academy's supernatural ability to traverse the world's surface meant that all peoples were made familiar with its esteemed presence, and each major city was re-built with the Academy's liminal qualities in mind, carving out sections of empty space for the Shifting Citadel's to land while on its constant pilgrimage across the world's sacred locations. ​