Tower of First Knowledge/Legends

The Tower of First Knowledge was the northwestern tower surrounding the Tranquillity Spire atop the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The First Knowledge Council Chamber was located at the peak of this tower from which they oversaw the operation of the Jedi academy and Jedi Archives.

History
The Tower of First Knowledge was added to the Temple post 4,000 BBY and served the Order for a brief time before it collapsed during the Sacking of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY. While reconstruction was postponed for several centuries, the Tower was eventually finished during the expansion of 1,019 BBY. Serving the Order throughout its next millennia, the Council worked closely with Jedi High Council Surrounding the tower's base were several gardens filled with statues and memorial stones. Following the New Sith Wars, a meter tall block of white stone was inlaid with the five lightsaber hilt's of the Jedi responsible for the defeat of the last Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Bane. In reality, Bane had in fact survived, but Masters Valenthyne Farfalla, Worror Dowmat, Raskta Lsu, Knights Johun Othone, Sarro Xaj, and Caleb of Ambria were still memorialized here.

In 980 BBY, Princess Serra of Doan visited the Tower of First Knowledge to pledge to Jedi Master Obba the full cooperation of the Doan Royal Family in finding the assassin who killed Jedi Medd Tandar. Several centuries later, a holocron activated for the first time in thirteen generations. Receiving Master Mace Windu in the Holocron Chamber, Caretaker of First Knowledge Astaal Vilbum revealed the contents of the artifact and their relation to the Dark Jedi Volfe Karkko.

Surviving the Clone Wars, the Tower was ruined when the Grand Army of the Republic invaded per Operation: Knightfall. Led by Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, the 501st Legion laid waste to the complex blasting the Tower from the inside and out, reducing many of its interior chambers to rubble and destroying the polished facade. Patrolled by stormtroopers, the Tower was infiltrated by Starkiller, Vader's secret apprentice as he attempted to complete the Jedi Trials. Entering through the main entrance hall at the base of the Tower, Starkiller used the Force to adjust the shattered bridged that spanned the central chasm leading to the Holocron Chamber so that it was passable. Accessing one of the holocrons in the chamber, the Gatekeeper of the artifact appeared as a hooded figure and told him to prepare for his next trial. Starkiller descended into the bowels of the Temple Ziggurat where he was forced to defeat the Shadow Stalker, the mirror of his dark emotions. Finishing the job, Starkiller left the Temple for the final time, leaving it abandoned once more.

Standing empty for the next several decades, the Tower eventually crumbled during the disaster involving the Lusankya after the New Republic conquered Coruscant. The rest of the Temple would eventually crumble during the Yuuzhan Vong War, but eventually saw reconstruction under the leadership of the Galactic Alliance. Using blueprints salvaged from the ruined Temple Archives, the Reconstruction Authority rebuilt the Ziggurat, towers and all, although they were now concealed behind a transparisteel-and-stone exterior. Whether the Council of First Knowledge was reconvened within the reformed Jedi Order is unknown.

Layout
Located on the northwest corner of the Temple, the Tower of First Knowledge was designed to symbolize unity and the steps to enlightenment each Jedi must take. The masonry of the spire was supported by a highly-tensile substance known as magnate, which aided in the support of the thin frame of the tower. The tower was crowned by a Council Chamber, like to that in each of the other three Council towers of the Temple. Atop the spire were a series of reception/transmission antennas which, along with a constant connection to the HoloNet, tapped into the cosmic energy fields of the galaxy itself in order to stay in contact with Jedi on far-flung planets. The central topmast of this unique array of antennas was a powerful multi-frequency eradicator/scrambler that when coupled with the eradicators incorporated into the tower’s frame scrambled all communications in and out of the Temple. Communication bundles in the wall cavities fed data from these masts, through the columns within the Council chambers, to the Operations Planning Center. Receiver vanes within the walls of the spire converted signals from hyperspace locations into real-space coordinates before displaying them on the map.

Ascending from the base of the tower was a dedicated turbolift crafted by great Jedi architects to incorporate Force-inspired, internal dynamics, allowing for the different sizes and shapes of the Order’s members to ascend the narrow spire. At the base of tower was a reception and entrance hall leading from the roof of the Temple Ziggurat into the center of the tower. Two large bronzium statues flanked the entrance; their lightsabers crossed over the entry, lifting to allow access to the Tower. The hall beyond was dotted with six bronzium statues of long dead Jedi, with two doors to either side, leading to curved halls. A large memorial statue was held in the cavernous center shaft of the Tower, held by repulsorpads. A bridge spanned the lofty shaft of the tower, passing around the chest of the statue and into the Holocron Chamber on the other side. Near the top of the tower, three Contemplation Stations were spaced evenly from each other to provide a meditative retreat for Jedi preparing to go before the Council.



Off of the main hall were several chambers that encircled the central shaft of the Tower. To the left of the entrance hall was a large planetarium made up of giant bronzium globes. In addition to the planetarium, five stone slabs stood in recessed areas with etchings of the Jedi Code inscribed on them. On the three balconies in the chamber ancient artifacts of the Order were kept behind transparisteel display cases, while heritage tapestries hung from the ceiling. At the end of the hall was a large memorial to Master Qui-Gon Jinn; the semi-circular atrium was lined with stained glass windows. The hall led into a short passage, underneath of which was another hall that led to a balcony overlooking the central shaft of the tower.

To the right of the entrance hall was a short hallway that led to one of the many Training Facilities. The chamber had a balcony encompassing the entire area, from which a Jedi Master could observe the training going on below. The floor of the chamber was retractable in order for maintenance to be done on the large holoprojector below it. Four statues appeared to support the balcony, while in fact, they contained the chamber's stock of training droids. The droids wielded training lightsabers and equipped to discharge electrical burst from their hands, giving users a taste of combat with another Force-user. A hallway off the balcony area, led to another balcony in the central shaft of the tower.

Each spire was also equipped with a hangar; though they would be completely refurbished just before the Clone Wars began. A landing platform extended from the hangar mouth, allowing for ships to land and depart away from the Tower's structure. Located fifteen stories below the council chambers, the hangars were connected with a small garage that serviced the space craft. Also within the Tower were the chambers and offices of Jedi Council members.