User:Tommy9281/Anvil

"Double-bladed lightsaber of Exar Kun, fallen Jedi [&hellip;] Extreme danger&hellip;do not remove from nullification resin&hellip;under&hellip;any&hellip;"

- Catalog description of Exar Kun's lightsaber

The lightsaber of Jedi Knight Exar Kun was a device that was initially created to produce a single beam of blue-white energy. However, upon his ascension to Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun redesigned his lightsaber based on instructions hidden within an antiquated Sith holocron. The finished product was a double-bladed weapon imbued with dark side energy, from which sapphire blades materialized up to one and a half meters from either end of the hilt.

Exar Kun wielded the single bladed version of his weapon during his time as a student of Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, and with it earned a reputation as one of the galaxy's greatest lightsaber duelists. The modified, double-bladed saber that heralded his rise as Dark Lord was revealed a year later, when Kun confronted and slew his former Master with it on the floor of the Galactic Senate Hall of Coruscant. With Kun's own defeat at the end of the Great Sith War, his lightsaber was lost on Yavin 4, only to be rediscovered decades later by an agent of a secret covenant of Jedi bent on the eradication of all things Sith. Quarantined and preserved for a time in the planet Odryn's Sanctum of the Exalted, Exar Kun's lightsaber was among the Sith artifacts stolen by the bounty-hunting Moomo brothers, and eventually fell into the possession of the Mandalorian scientist Antos Wyrick, who in turn gave it to his former student, Jarael.

Unique design
"Entry #6305: Progress. I have a lightsaber. The Ithorians stole a nice-looking specimen from the Jedi storehouse, and I have taken it from them. The Jedi are truly a superstitious lot. The weapon is sealed in a special resin and labeled as some kind of evil artifact, dangerous to those using the Force."

- Doctor Demagol

Jedi apprentice Exar Kun's original lightsaber consisted of a metallic hilt that finished in a single blade emitter shroud, and fastened neatly to clips on his right thigh. The intensity of the blue-white beam of plasma it produced was adjustable; at its highest setting, the lightsaber was able to rend Mandalorian iron, a unique ore highly prized for its lightsaber-resistant qualities. Minor modifications were made to include three additional emitter shrouds, and a ring at the base to facilitate a belt clip.



In 3,996 BBY, the lightsaber of Exar Kun underwent extensive alterations, the most significant of them being the incorporation of a second emitter assembly that was identical to the one already installed. A single power cell activated both ends of the newly-created saberstaff&mdash;together or independent of one another&mdash;which was recharged by a hidden socket situated just below the ubiquitous black handgrip. Dual focusing cores complete with lens crystal assemblies were crossed by a pair of power conduits that wired into a single red activation stud at either end. Three smaller, colored, and vertically–aligned buttons were on the black surface of the protruding emitter assemblies, which were protected by four, symmetrically–placed, pronged emitter shrouds. Included were diagnostic systems, and paneled controls that adjusted the blade length between .5 and 1.5 meters. Opposite the octagonal dual-phase control was an identically–shaped mechanism that adjusted the intensity of the lightsaber's twin blades which, at their lowest setting, served little more purpose than a glowrod, neither able to inflict damage nor resist opposing weapons in combat. At full power, the lightsaber resisted the blades of others, and cleaved through virtually anything else with which it came into contact, including weapons empowered by the Force.

Advantages
"Time to make this more interesting. Do you like the modifications I made to my lightsaber, Master?"

- Exar Kun reveals the second blade of his lightsaber

Extendable belt clips jutted from the base of each emitter shroud and allowed the lightsaber's handler to conveniently affix the device to their person from either end. Kun's weapon was also infused with the dark side energies of its creator, and those who faced him were unsettled by its inherently insidious nature. Inheritors of the weapon that were in tune with the Force found themselves infected with the lightsaber's residual malevolent power, while those with no such affinity remained unaffected.

The efficiency of Kun's preferred combat style of Form VI: Niman was further complimented by his saberstaff's improvements. In an era when such weapons were all but forgotten, the exotic double-bladed nature of Kun's lightsaber bewildered enemy combatants. A single ignited end often preceded the opposite, and served to offset the opposition when activated in the heat of battle. Offensive attacks were blocked by one blade as the hand grip was quickly spun to deliver a killing blow with the other. Swift adjustments of either blade's length or intensity caused enemies to overextend themselves, and allowed the Dark Lord to counterattack with lethality. Thus combined with his incredible mastery of the Force, Exar Kun was a nearly unbeatable warrior when also armed with his double-bladed lightsaber.

Jedi's lightsaber
"Are you sure you want to do this, Master?''" "''I put the same question to you, boy."

- Exar Kun and Vodo-Siosk Baas

Exar Kun created a single, blue-bladed lightsaber during his years of training under the legendary Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, a Krevaaki Jedi scholar and reputed connoisseur of lightsaber construction. With his original saber Kun surpassed his fellow apprentices Crado and Sylvar; he also faced Master Baas with his own weapon and that of Crado's, a practice bout that resulted in Baas' defeat and the splintering of his quarterstaff. Kun's apprenticeship under Baas came to an end when Kun began chafing under his master's teachings. Fascinated by the Dark Side, Kun opened Baas's holocron and learned about the Sith and their influence. Baas attempted to deflect Kun's interest with a sparring match between him and his fellow learners, Crado and Sylvar.

Kun's first opponent was Crado, whom he easily defeated, knocking him down with a precise kick during combat. Sylvar proved to be more of a challenge, their clashing blows echoing across the Dantooine plains. However, Kun foolishly made a speciesist comment against the Cathar, and the enraged Sylvar clawed Kun across the face. Kun responded violently, disarming Sylvar and physically assaulting her. Fortunately for her, Baas intervened, disarming Kun with his staff as Kun raised his lightsaber to finish her. When Baas attempted to talk Kun down, Kun suddenly summoned Crado's dropped lightsaber and challenged Baas to a match. Baas' use of his Force-imbued staff enabled him to seize an early advantage, fending off Kun's opening attack before knocking him off his feet. However, Kun was hardly finished, summoning his own lightsaber and attacking Baas with the two weapons. Unable to effectively counter Kun's dual-blades, Baas was driven back and his staff was shattered by a dual overhand. Baas acknowledged Kun's power and skill, but sensed an emptiness within Kun's spirit that could be overcome by the Dark Side. Kun stated that only he knew his own spirit, and declared himself a Jedi Knight, without any formal basis, and left Baas' apprenticeship.

Wayward Jedi's weapon
"By the Force! I thought a lightsaber could cut through anything. The walls are barely scratched. The only thing that can resist a lightsaber is&hellip;Mandalorian iron!"

- Exar Kun, regarding Freedon Nadd's tomb

Soon after leaving his master, Kun traveled to Onderon, the site of the recent Naddist uprising, seeking to indulge his fascination with the Dark Side. Claiming to be a member of the Jedi archaeologists, Kun approached Master Arca Jeth. Jeth sensed Kun's lie and turned him away. As his fellow Jedi refused to assist him, Kun traveled to the Onderonian capital of Iziz. Encountering a pair of Naddist cultists being harassed by a mob, Kun saved the two and had them guide him to the tomb of Freedon Nadd on the moon of Dxun. After killing an attacking jungle creature with his lightsaber, Kun attempted to cut his way into the tomb. However, his lightsaber was repelled by the Mandalorian iron the tomb was fabricated from. As he tuned his lightsaber to maximum strength, Kun sensed a power within the tomb that sought to aid him. Using this power to reinforce the strength of his lightsaber, Kun cut through the iron and entered the tomb. Encountering the spirit of Freedon Nadd and procuring a set of Sith scrolls, Kun was suddenly accosted by the Naddists who guided him there. Kun quickly finished them.

Following the coordinates specified in the scrolls, Kun made his way to the Sith tombworld, Korriban. Encountering Freedon Nadd's spirit again, Kun was guided through the various tombs and monuments in the Valley of the Dark Lords. However, as a test, Nadd took Kun's lightsaber and summoned several of Korriban's more vicious creatures to attack Kun. Cut off from the Light Side of the Force by Nadd's sorcery, Exar Kun was forced to call on the Dark Side to retrieve his lightsaber from the spirit and fend off the creatures. Shortly afterward, Nadd performed another test, causing one of the tombs to cave-in, trapping and seriously injuring Kun. Still cut off from the light, Kun was forced to embrace the Dark Side to heal himself. Guided by Nadd, Kun journeyed to Yavin 4 and encountered the Massassi. Still partially denying the Dark Side and unable to call on the Light, Kun was incapable of fending off the primitive warriors, and was captured, his lightsaber taken from him. However, when the Massassi attempted to sacrifice Kun to the Sith wyrm living beneath the Temple of Fire, Kun embraced the Dark Side fully, procuring a Sith amulet and killing the beast with blasts of Dark Side energy.

Dark Jedi's tool
"You are skilled with a lightsaber&hellip;yet even my Master could not defeat me! I am the greatest swordsman in the galaxy!''" "''Come. Let us see!"

- Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, as they duel

Having defeated the wyrm, Kun was hailed as a savior by the Massassi and crowned their new Dark Lord. However, to destroy any threats to his power, Kun turned his amulets power on Freedon Nadd, obliterating his spirit. As Nadd faded away into nothingness, he called out to his other students of the Dark Side, warning them of Kun and his limitless ambition. His lightsaber returned to him by the Massassi, Exar Kun set about consolidating his rule, building numerous temples and monuments in his honor to focus the Dark Side. Uncovering Naga Sadow's warship buried beneath the Temple of Fire, Kun resolved to hunt down the other Dark Side servants Nadd informed him of. Traveling to the Empress Teta system, he arrived during the Jedi assault on the Krath fortress. Boldly striding across the battlefield, Kun entered the citadel and confronted his rivals; Aleema Keto and Ulic Qel-Droma. Quickly bringing down Keto with a blast of Dark Side energy, he drew his lightsaber and engaged Qel-Droma.

Due to his own skill as a duelist, Kun expected the contest to end swiftly, but was surprised by Qel-Droma's skill with his weapon. The two battled back and forth, evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage. However, as they battled, the Sith amulets they wore awoke. The two amulets were the mates of one another, tied to each other with the express purpose of summoning Sith spirits to deliver a message. A procession of ancient Sith Lords, led by Marka Ragnos appeared. Ragnos commanded them to cease fighting, then gave them recognition for their actions, which would ensure continued Sith resurgence and eventual dominance. Kun was dubbed Dark Lord of the Sith and Qel-Droma was declared his apprentice.

Sith Lord's instrument
The Great Sith War had begun. While Ulic Qel-Droma led the Krath forces into battle, recruiting the Mandalorians, Exar Kun set about quietly infiltrating the Jedi Order to cherry pick artifacts and gather followers. Gaining twenty disciples and procuring the Sith holocron held by Odan-Urr, Kun led the followers to Yavin IV and began impressing them with his "achievements". However, a reluctant Oss Wilum began returning to the ships and ended up instigating a conflict with Kun's Massassi. As the Jedi engaged, Kun took up two lightsabers to get their attention, though whether the extra weapon was one of his or one he appropriated remains unknown. As a sign of good faith, Kun extinguished the two weapons and offered them to Wilum. Now that he had their full attention, Kun proceeded to use the Sith holocron he had taken from Odan-Urr to turn his followers to the Dark Side and set them loose against their former Jedi Masters.



While his acolytes set off to assassinate the Jedi Masters, weakening the Order, the Mandalorian leader, Mandalore the Indomitable, arrived and informed Kun of Qel-Droma's capture by Republic forces. Traveling to Coruscant, Kun stormed in on Qel-Droma's trial, paralyzing the Senate with a Sith spell and killing the Chancellor. It was then that Exar Kun's former master, Vodo-Siosk Baas, entered. The two attempted to sway the other to their cause, but unable to come to agreement, Kun drew his lightsaber. The two battled across the Senate floor, matching one another blow for blow. Unable to seize the offense, and irritated by Baas' tireless begging for surrender, Kun revealed the modifications he performed on his lightsaber.

Pressing a button on the hilt, Exar Kun activated the lightsaber's second blade. Now armed with a double-bladed lightsaber, Kun took full advantage of the weapon, pummeling Baas with a series of rapid and powerful attacks. Unable to effectively counter against this unfamiliar and unique weapon, Baas knew he was beaten. The Jedi Master's parting warning only infuriated Kun, and he shattered Baas' staff with a powerful overhand blow. Vodo-Siosk Baas was dead. Kun used the lightsaber in combat again during the Battle of Ossus. Due to an oncoming supernova shock-wave triggered by Kun, the Jedi were forced to evacuate Ossus, scrambling to collect all their artifacts and records. Into this chaos Exar Kun arrived, with Ulic Qel-Droma and his Massassi forces in tow. While Qel-Droma engaged Jedi forces in the sky, Kun took to the ground, confronting Ood Bnar. Demanding that Bnar turn over the lightsabers he was trying to save, Kun engaged the Neti. Their duel was brief, as Bnar was not an expert combatant, and he was knocked down by the intervening Massassi. However, in order to protect the cache of lightsabers, he positioned himself above the vault he was placing them in and transformed. As Neti were essentially sentient plants, they were capable of transforming back and forth between bipedal beings and rooted flora, living for thousands of years, Bnar became a massive tree.

Unable to get at the lightsabers below Bnar, Kun left the master to his fate. Despite his failure to obtain the weapons cache, Kun's mission was still a success, and he obtained many Jedi artifacts besides. However, while the mission itself was a success, Kun lost his apprentice. Ulic Qel-Droma was shot down and engaged on the ground by his brother, Cay. While Ulic proved victorious, killing Cay, his actions horrified Nomi Sunrider, who used her powers to imprison Ulic in a wall of light, permanently cutting him off from the Force. Left helpless and regretful of his actions, Ulic Qel-Droma betrayed Kun, giving the Jedi the location of Kun's stronghold on Yavin IV. The Jedi arrived above the world in force, and Kun, knowing that he couldn't defeat all of them, instead used a last resort Sith spell to escape them. Draining the life force from all his Massassi, Kun transcended his physical form, becoming a Sith spirit.

Recovery and later usage
"The Jedi do not seem to understand their own powers."

- Doctor Demagol, regarding Exar Kun's lightsaber

The weapon remained on Yavin IV after Kun's supposed death before being recovered by the Jedi Covenant shadow Celeste Morne. Morne took the weapon to the Sith artifact storehouse the Jedi Covenant maintained on Odryn. The weapon remained there for years until Zayne Carrick arrived planet-side searching for evidence against the Covenant to clear his own name. It was stolen by Carrick's allies, the Moomo Brothers, along with numerous other artifacts just prior to the storehouses destruction.

It changed hands several times before falling into the hands of Antos Wyrick, who later donated it to Jarael. Luckily for her, she had no strong Force connection that would cause the weapon to corrupt her. She was about to use it to kill her rival Chantique until Carrick stopped her. Unfortunately, the lightsaber fell into Chantqiue's hand and it amplified her Force power. Eventually, it impaled both Wyrick and his daughter. Carrick then returned the lightsaber back to the Jedi Council for safekeeping.

Legacy
This weapon ultimately left quite an impact. Double-bladed lightsabers were introduced to the Jedi, becoming very popular among them around the time of the Jedi Civil War. Such weapons were also very popular with the Sith, due to its offensive capabilities, and the fact that many of the Sith and Dark Jedi serving Darth Revan were fallen Jedi. While these weapons remained popular with the Sith, their usage among Jedi gradually dwindled, as the offensive purpose of these weapons ran counter to Jedi philosophy.

Behind the scenes
Kun's lightsaber is drawn without the emitter shrouds in DLOTS6.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 1: Masters and Students of the Force
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 47: Demon, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 48: Demon, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 49: Demon, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 50: Demon, Part 4
 * Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars
 * Timeline 10: The Exar Kun War
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter