Kaleth

Kaleth, or the Temple of Knowledge was one of nine temples of the Je'daii Order located on the lush and dangerous world of Tython. A large stone structure with four large, square towers, the temple at Kaleth served as a repository of knowledge and wisdom for many generations. After the devastating Force Wars, the Je'daii left Tython and others came to live in the ruins of the ancient fortress-city. By the time the Jedi Order returned to their ancient homeworld during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the resurgent Sith Empire, the temple at Kaleth was no more than ruins.

History[]

Pre-Republic era[]

Long before the Tho Yor arrived on Tython with the first Force-sensitives that would form the Je'daii Order, a civilization of Kwa inhabited the planet, constructing temples and structures on the forested planet. Eventually the world was depopulated and the Kwa temples fell into ruin.^[3] When hundreds of philosophers and scholars from across the galaxy first arrived on Tython in 36,453 BBY, they were brought forth from the stars on giant pyramidal constructs called the Tho Yor. These nine massive ships scattered across the planet and landed in separate locations, releasing those held within to settle the planet. The Tho Yor themselves would serve as the very foundations for these travelers' new homes and places of study.^[2]

One of these Tho Yor landed in the Tythos Ridge, and would come to be known as Kaleth^[2]—a Je'daii word meaning "sanctum".^[4] The philosophers, calling themselves the Je'daii Order, established a stone structure below the massive floating ship, encasing within it the ancient ruins of a one of the Kwa temples. Above all other temples on the world, Kaleth was the most important as it served as the meeting place of Je'daii leaders and a convocation center for the entire Order. Kaleth was where critical matters arose, where decisions were made and judgment rendered on behalf of the entire Order and the location of the Je'daii's vast library. For this reason, when the Despot War erupted in the Tython system, the forces converged on Kaleth during the climatic close of the war.^[2]

DespotWar-DotJ1 — Je'daii defend Kaleth from the warriors of the Shikaakwa army.

At all times a Je'daii Temple Master served as steward of the facility and oversaw its functions. In 25,793 BBY Master Kora Ryo, a Twi'lek, was the Temple's overseer.^[2] During his research, the Zabrak Je'daii Master Ters Sendon discovered the ancient Kwa temple deep in the lower levels of Kaleth and stumbled upon an ancient holocron of the Kwa philosopher A'nang. With the assistance of Je'daii Journeyer Tasha Ryo, the holocron was activated and its gatekeeper offered to give of its knowledge.^[3] After years of study and peace, the Force Wars erupted between members of the first Jedi High Council and the heretical Master Rajivari. Rajivari and his followers holed up in the Temple of Knowledge as their former brother and sister Jedi converged on them. While Rajivari fled, his followers all perished leaving behind only data files containing their final moments.^[1] At the conclusion of the war the Jedi Order abandoned Tython, leaving Kaleth and the other temples to crumble.^[1]

Despite this, other Force-wielding civilizations from the nearby worlds in the system would attempt to recolonize Tython. Taking up occupancy in the old Temple of Knowledge, Kaleth became a city of sorts, with each successive government attempting and failing to bring Kaleth back to its heyday. Two such rulers were the Forceful Lord Maravada the Silent and later Avamarivash the Warrior-Poet. Despite their different ruling styles and ideals, both their reigns eventually came to an end and the city remained in ruin, their legacies sealed away within the Chamber of Speech.^[1]

Return of the Jedi[]

Kaleth ruins-TOR — Kaleth ruins during the Cold War

Following the rediscovery of Tython by Jedi Master Satele Shan, the Jedi Order relocated their headquarters to their ancestral homeworld to replace their Coruscant Temple destroyed at the end of the Great Galactic War. Upon locating Kaleth, many Jedi believed it would be an ideal foundation for their new Temple. Despite this, the Jedi High Council decided that it would be more wise to study Kaleth from a distance and chose to construct their new Temple in a nearby valley just north of the site.^[1]

Setting up an archaeological camp at the site of the ruins, the Jedi were startled to find ancient wardroids that attacked any who entered the site; if Jedi designed the droids, why were they killers? Unbeknownst to Tython's new residents, the droids had been designed by an ancient Jedi known as the Weapon Master to protect the First Blade, the template for the modern lightsaber. Master Till'in led the team that sought to discover the reason for the droids' attacks and hoped to unlock the mystery surrounding the ancient fortress.^[1]

Layout[]

Located in the western Tythos Ridge, Kaleth was nestled into the embrace of a gently-sloping mountain range. Accessible by two roads, one of which was called the Elarian Trail, the massive fortress was made of painted stone, arranged to create large geodesic circles in the faces of the four square towers.^[2]

Following centuries of not being occupied, the stone walls of Kaleth fell away until all that remained were the lower stories. The entrance to the temple-city remained in the form of a massive stone archway that opened into a spacious courtyard where a towering statue kept watch over the entrance. Many small structures existed in the area, stairs led up to the few remaining levels. Various chambers were still occupied by war droids which were programmed to attack any intruders. A short path from one of the upper levels led into the mountain behind the city and contained the lost Chamber of Speech, a repository of historical records relating to the city-temple's past.^[1]