Thon

"It is not simply enough to know the light...a Jedi must feel the tension between the two sides of the Force...in himself and in the universe"

- Thon

Thon was a mysterious Tchuukthai Jedi Master who lived around 4,000 BBY. Very little was known of his early life, and he was extremely reclusive, revealing as little as possible about where he came from and how he had learned all of his impressive powers. After arriving at the Great Jedi Library on Ossus fully trained in the ways of the Force, Thon left the planet to search for somewhere remote to teach his students. He eventually arrived on Ambria in the Stenness system, defeating the dark forces that plagued the barren planet. He trained many students on the planet, the most well known of which were Oss Wilum and Nomi Sunrider.

Thon did not play an active role in any of the major conflicts of his time, though he attended the Jedi assemblies during the conflicts. During the Great Sith War in 3,996 BBY, Thon was the only Jedi Master targeted for murder by the Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun to survive. Afterwards, he helped evacuate Ossus before it was destroyed by a supernova caused by Kun's Sith apprentice Ulic Qel-Droma. After the war, Thon attended the Conclave on Exis station, where the future of the Jedi Order was discussed.

Early life
Thon's early life was shrouded in mystery. He was a member of the Tchuukthai, a beast-like quadrupedal alien species native to a planet deep in the Unknown regions, the location of which they kept a closely guarded secret. The Tchuukthai were extremely secretive and reclusive, so information about them and their homeworld was unreliable, at least in Thon's time. The few Tchuukthai who left their homeworld were considered little more than savage beasts by most members of galactic society, until their true intellect was discovered by a Jedi Master, whose name was eventually lost to time. The Jedi befriended Thon on the Tchuukthai's planet, and taught him much about the galaxy. Thon was intrigued at the wonders of the greater galaxy, and eventually the Jedi Master offered to teach his friend in the ways of the Light side of the Force. Thon was cautious and unsure about leaving his planet initially; he was afraid that if his species's intelligence was known, they would be ruthlessly exploited by the criminals of the galaxy. However, the Jedi Master agreed to keep the Tchuukthai's intelligence a secret, and trained Thon in the ways of the Force. Thon eventually became a powerful Jedi, and became skilled in a great many Force powers and the art of Lightsaber combat.

Jedi Master
Some time later, Thon arrived on the Jedi world of Ossus, fully trained in the ways of the Force. He gave no indication of where he came from and how he had learned his powers, which meant he was of great interest to the Jedi Masters. Virtually no information was known on his species; the Republic's Bureau of Xenology had named the species Wharl because of the complete lack of information and name on the Tchuuukthai. The Bureau sent many inquiries to Thon about his species, though they eventually gave up after Thon continually ignored them. He was a master of every power known to the Jedi, and even taught the other Masters several powers unknown to them at the time. Thon's response to any questions about was origin was always the same: "It is better that you do not know&mdash;at least, not yet." The other Jedi accepted this explanation, though it heightened their interest in the mysterious Jedi Master. Thon eventually became one of the most advanced and revered Jedi Masters of the time, alongside such others as Odan-Urr, Vodo-Siosk Baas, Ood Bnar and Arca Jeth. Thon stayed on Ossus for several years, before departing the Jedi planet to search for somewhere more remote to train his students "in peace."

Thon wore no clothes, and carried only a single item&mdash;an ancient lightsaber&mdash;as he wandered across the galaxy in his ship, guided only by the Force. One day, a place outside the reaches of his ship's sensors, surrounded by dark side energies, caught Thon's attention. For some time, Thon meditated on its presence as the Force guided his ship to the location of the energies. He eventually arrived in the Stenness system, and traveled to the planet Ambria.

Ambria
Thon quickly realized that Ambria radiated the dark side, and sought to find the source. A mineral rich world once busy with miners, Ambria had never been properly colonized because of its barren, inhospitable atmosphere. After much of its natural resources had been exhausted, the planet became the home of a Sith sorceress, who, although her name was eventually forgotten, was recorded in the archives of the Jedi Order on Ossus. Using her Sith powers, she constructed a great obelisk infused with the dark side, where, once completed, she attempted to conduct an ancient Sith ritual. However, it proved too complex for her to pull off correctly, and she inadvertently released a wave of dark side energy; it eradicated the few sentients living on the planet, further damaged the atmosphere and made the planet become tainted with dark side energies. The planet then became a focal point for Sith during the Fall of the Sith Empire, who eventually passed away, leaving malevolent spirits behind on Ambria. These energies and spirits remained on the planet for many centuries, until they eventually guided Thon to Ambria.

Thon landed on the surface of the barren planet and was immediately ambushed by the Sith spirits, which he easily repelled with his superior knowledge of the Force. However, after much time and effort Thon became thoroughly exhausted, and his ability to repel the attackers was diminishing. However, he devised a strategy to defeat the Sith, and swan out into the middle of Lake Natth, the largest source of water on the planet. When he reached the center of the lake, Thon gave in to the dark side, and the Sith energies swarmed around his limp body. Thon then cunningly used his remaining energy to use the Force to trap his adversaries in a web of light side energy, before leaving the lake forever. The sinister spirits were furious at being trapped under the waters of the lake, and possessed and mutated the local life forms, forming dark side monsters called Hssiss. Ambria, however, was finally cleansed of the dark side.

During his wandering on the planet, Thon discovered a meditative canyon, located in the Tiernvael Mountains in the northern region of the planet. This area was even more barren than the majority of the rest of the planet, with barely any precipitation, and no wildlife. This was largely due to its proximity to the Sith obelisk built by the long-dead Sorceress, though unorthodox weather patterns also affected it. Although the area did enjoy brief times of total calmness, vicious sand storms usually meant travel was almost impossible. During one such storm, Thon sought shelter in the canyon, and found that one wall in particular had an unusually powerful connection to the Force. He entered a meditative trance so that he could recover from the injuries he had suffered during the brutal storm, and found that the wall made him feel at ease, made him unaware of the turmoil happening around him. He also noticed an array of transparent crystals, which, although they made no impact in the Force, were used as something to focus on while meditating. The storm eventually subsided, and although Thon left, he made a note of the location of the canyon. He returned there for many years, whenever he was in need of spiritual solace.

Thon built a small training center not far from Lake Natth, and had several breeds of animals transported to Ambria from various worlds throughout the galaxy, in an attempt to bring about the recovery of the desolate world. For over a dozen years, Thon trained several students on Ambria, including a young Vultan named Oss Wilum. Wilum had previously been a student of Jedi Master Garnoo, but when the Neti Master perished, he was left without a tutor. Thon, however, on one of his rare excursions offworld, realized Wilum's Force potential, and brought him to Ambria to complete his training. After five years of learning, Wilum had finally completed his apprenticeship, and had surpassed Thon's expectations. The massive Tchuukthai was surprised at how quickly his Vultan Padawan progressed, considering how late in life he had begun his training. Thon knew his Padawan was ready to join the ranks of the Jedi Knights, and knew that Arca Jeth would be looking for more Jedi to aid him on the planet Onderon, where dark side cultists were revolting. Thon then made arrangements with another Jedi Master, known as Chamma, to have a young Human, named Andur Sunrider, sent to Ambria to further his training under the great Tchuukthai.

The training of Nomi Sunrider
"Why do you call this creature Master?" "Because he is Master Thon&mdash;a very advanced Jedi!"

- Nomi Sunrider and Oss Wilum

Sunrider had learned all that Chamma felt he could teach him, so the ancient Jedi decided to send him to Thon in the Steness system. Andur was due to arrive on the planet in his ship, the Lightside Explorer, along with his wife Nomi and his baby daughter Vima. However, en route to Thon's compound, the trio had been ambushed by assassins sent by the local gangster, Bogga the Hutt, to intercept them and steal Andur's adegan crystals, which were to be given to Thon in thanks. During the ambush, Andur had been killed, and Nomi, strong in the Force herself, had retaliated, killing the assassins with her late husband's lightsaber. After his death, Andur had appeared as a Force ghost, urging Nomi to take the gift to Thon, and that the old Tchuukthai Master would help her decided where to go next. Nomi honored her husband's word, and continued on towards Thon's house. Oss Wilum had yet to depart for Onderon, so he accompanied Thon to meet Nomi, who was standing on a hill overlooking the Tchuukthai's house.

Thon brought Oss toward Nomi, and she originally mistook the Vultar Padawan as the Jedi Master, believing Thon to be s simple beast. Thon did not correct this misinterpretation, keeping silent and acting as if he was indeed an unintelligent animal. Thon and his apprentice led the young female to the house, providing food for her and her child. Nomi told them of her ordeal, however they were soon interrupted when Bogga and his cronies arrived on his sail barge. The Hutt, who had always held a great hatred for Thon, was determined to steal Nomi's adegan crystals, which were extremely valuable. Thon watched as Wilum attempted to engage the Hutt's men in combat, though the young Jedi could not match their numbers, and was soon captured. Thon then acted, leaping at the the men, and using the Force to knock them back. Bogga knew they were unable to match such a power, and ordered a retreat, though he still did not give up his hopes of acquiring the crystals. It was then that Nomi finally learned that it would be Thon would be teaching her the ways of the Force.

For the next few months, Thon did not speak a word to his new pupil, allowing her to recover from the grief of Andur's unfortunate death, and to decide the form her life would now take. Nomi, however, began to doubt Thon, and spent much time pondering his peculiar teaching methods. While Thon was away, Nomi unknowingly used the Force to protect her daughter Vima from the Hssiss who frequented Lake Natth. In truth, Nomi was using basic battle meditation, though she did not know at the time. Although the Hssiss had been defeated, the dark spirits in the lake reached out to Nomi, malevolently telling her she was going to die. Nomi fled the lake, though she still had lingering doubts about Thon, asking herself why she was on this savage world.

When Nomi returned, Thon finally fully realized her potential, and he knew she would one day become a great Jedi Master. Thon also knew of the great conflicts that would take place in the galaxy, and the role Nomi would play in them&mdash;it was then that he decided to begin her training. Oss Wilum had yet to depart for Onderon, so before he could begin Nomi's training proper, Thon had to travel to meet with one of Arca's apprentices, the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, who would be accompanying Wilum back to Master Arca on Onderon, should Thon allow it. He permitted Oss to leave, and, finally, he was alone with Nomi Sunrider, ready to begin her training.

He told his new Padawan that she would use her adegan crystals to build a lightsaber, though Sunrider was reluctant to ever use such a weapon; she had already killed with Andur's saber. Thon, however, told her that that was self-defense, and that she had already shown great skill with the weapon. The red-haired Human persisted, noting that Thon did not use a ligthsaber, and that she would only accept his tutelage on the condition that she did not have to use a lightsaber. Thon agreed, though he knew she would waver eventually.

The Krath conflict
"Certain things are a matter of destiny, and certain things are a matter of choice. It is possible that Qel-Droma will teach himself a much-needed lesson by his own foolish actions!"

- Thon

The Great Sith War
"Ngrra pschh! We must put our feelings aside. This is a war of light and darkness."

- Thon

Betrayal
"Ngrrr. I fear that I was the target for a Jedi student to attempt to murder his own master... I can only hope the other masters are safe."

- Thon

The great cost of war
"It is already lost. Ngrrth cha! Ossus... Ossus..."

- Thon

Conclave of Exis Station
"Nomi has grown to be an even greater Jedi than I had hoped. They listen to her... They follow her..."

- Thon

Personality and traits
Thon lived simply while on Ambria, maintaining a humble dwelling near Lake Natth. Although Thon possessed a lightsaber, and even a set of Jedi robes, he was not known to travel with such trappings of the Jedi for much of his life, which he spent in seclusion with his students on Ambria.

Powers and abilities
"Thank you, Master. You have once again demonstrated that a lightsaber is not the only way to win a fight!"

- Oss Wilum

As a Tchuukthai, Thon possessed considerable natural means of defending himself. He was large and well-muscled, and more than capable of carrying adult humanoids on his back. A bony frill around his neckline, armor plating on his back, hornlike projections from his jaws, and spikes protruding from his shoulders helped to protect him from harm. Each of Thon's four legs ended in a set of sharp, strong claws, ideal for slashing. Additionally, the Tchuukthai had strong jaws filled with long, sharp teeth, which he used to considerable effect on the hssiss of Lake Natth. The quadrupedal Jedi Master was ambidextrous and capable of wielding weapons, including two weapons in conjunction.

By the time Nomi Sunrider came under his tutelage, Thon was already possessed of a myriad of Force powers. The Tchuukthai was capable of battle meditation, but was not as talented in it as Arca Jeth, and could not teach it to others in the manner of Odan-Urr. Thon was well-versed in aspects of the Force both physical, such as bursts of speed, as well as ethereal, including use of the Force to focus in battle and to cut others off from the Force. When Bogga the Hutt's thugs attacked Nomi and Oss Wilum on Ambria, Thon was able to use the Force to knock them down.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Planet of Twilight
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress